Looks Like Forever
by merlucadevotion
Summary: Andrew stays home to help Meredith take care of her youngest child, causing feelings to arise in Meredith on the next chapter in their relationship.
1. Looks Like Forever

Andrew knocked on Meredith's door and waited for her to answer one Friday afternoon. They both had the day off and decided on a picnic at this cozy spot he'd discovered at one of the local parks.

Meredith answered the door seemingly surprised to see him. "Andrew, hey."

"Hey, Mer. Are we still on for this afternoon or?" He asked with a smile.

"Wh - Oh, oh, right! Our date." Meredith ran her fingers through her hair with a sigh. "I completely forgot, honey. I'm sorry. Ellis wasn't feeling too well at daycare and the nanny was going to stay to look after her but I thought it was best if I took care of her and I was gonna call you but I.."

Andrew stepped forward, pulling Meredith a few inches closer to her by the waist. "Meredith, it's fine. Your kids come first. That's the way it should be. I completely understand."

The tenseness in Meredith's shoulders relaxed and she gazed softly into his eyes. His sweet, forgiving eyes full of understanding. "Thank you for understanding."

"Of course. So Ellis isn't feeling well? Is there anything I can do to help?" Andrew inquired.

"I'm sure you have better things to do than hang out here with me and my sick kid all afternoon." Meredith said.

"Mer, I'm a doctor just like you. And plus, my whole schedule was cleared to spend the day with you, so that's what I'm gonna do." He told her. "Just a little change of plans. That's all." He added with a shrug.

"Alright, well come on in. Hopefully you don't catch whatever she has." Meredith said over her shoulder as they walked in.

They walked over to the couch where little Ellis laid wrapped up in her favorite pink blanket, watching television.

However, as soon as she spotted Andrew, her entire face lit up and she sat up on the couch despite not feeling well. "Andrew!" She said excitedly.

"Hey ladybug, how're you feeling?" He asked her.

"Not so good.." Ellis frowned a bit. "My head feels hot and my tummy hurts."

"That's why I need you to lay down for me, Elle Belle. So you can start feeling better soon. Andrew is here to help take care of you."

"Okay." Ellis sighed softly.

"My poor baby. She's been like this all day." Meredith gently ran her fingers through her daughter's hair.

Meredith retrieved a small bottle that sat on the coffee table. "Are you ready to take your medicine for mommy now?" She said to her.

"Uh uh!" Ellis pouted, pulling the blanket over her head.

Andrew chuckled lightly and sat down near Ellis on the couch. He glanced at the television and noticed she was watching My Little Pony, and suddenly he came up with the perfect idea. He just hoped it would work.

"Hey, Elle, guess what?" He said.

"What?" She replied, peeking from under her blanket.

"Did you know that this medicine, " He said, holding up the bottle. "isn't just normal medicine. It's magic."

Ellis sat up a little more. "Magic?"

Andrew nodded. "Yep, magic. Just like twilight sparkle's magic. It'll give you special feeling better powers."

"Really?" Ellis' eyes lit up with excitement.

"Really." Andrew smiled.

"What are you waiting for, mommy? Give me that medicine!" Ellis exclaimed.

Meredith and Andrew both laughed. She unscrewed the cap and placed a small amount on a spoon for Ellis. She glanced over at Andrew giving him a look that said thank you.

Ellis took the medicine without another word of protest and went back to watching her show.

An hour or so later, Meredith and Andrew were in the kitchen sharing a slice of strawberry cheesecake.

"Thank you so much for helping out with Ellis today. She really likes you." Meredith told him.

"I'm glad I could help. She's an awesome little girl. Clearly takes after her mom." Andrew smiled. "So there's this soup that my nonna used to make for Carina and I when we were younger, whenever we got sick. I think Ellis will like it."

"The kids love your cooking and so do I, so don't let me stop you." Meredith chuckled lightly as she collected their now empty plate and utensils.

Meredith watched as Andrew took over in the kitchen, helping himself to the ingredients he would need to prepare the soup. As she watched him she wondered, for probably the millionth time, how she ended up here - so happy, falling so deeply in love when she believed for so long that she never would again.

Watching Andrew slowly integrate himself into her children's lives, into her family, it never felt more right. She could visualize him being a more permanent fixture in her home and in their lives.

This visualization became more clear once her other two children arrived home from school. Andrew helped them with homework and ordered pizza for dinner.

Later that night, came the moment that Meredith dreaded most, when Andrew had to leave her to head back to his own apartment.

As they stood near the door and Andrew placed on last goodbye kiss to her lips, she stopped him as he turned around to leave.

"Andrew, wait -"

He turned to look at her, eyes expectant for whatever it was that she had to tell him. After a couple moments of silence, he grew a little worried. "Mer, is everything alright?"

"Move in with me." She answered in one single breath.

Andrew raised an eyebrow, slightly taken by surprise.

"I know this is kind of sudden, but after today, I don't know it just feels..right. I mean, you're already here all the time, why not just make it a little more permanent?" She explained to him.

"Well, that apartment does get pretty lonely these days.." Andrew's eyes sparked with an energy that matched his smile.

"I bet." Meredith smirked softly.

"But I'm not gonna lie, I'll miss the special times we shared in it.." Andrew's hand gently caressed her cheek.

Meredith glanced down briefly with a light blush on her cheeks. "I'll miss those times too."

"Even more than that, I'm looking forward to all the new special times we'll create together.."

She felt his hands caress her lower waist in that way that sent shivers down her spine. "So am I."

Meredith knew could stand out there all night if she could, anything to be near him, to be touched by him. However, the rational side of her brain knew very well she had work the next morning and so did he.

"Well, goodnight Andrew. See you in the morning." She told him, an excitement stirring inside of her at the thought that soon she would say that and find him laying next to her every single morning.

"Goodnight, Meredith." Andrew said with one last kiss before he headed home.

She waved to him as he pulled out of the driveway and watched him drive away until he was no longer visible, her heart filled with anticipation for this new chapter in their lives.


	2. Welcome Home

**Hey guys, so I decided I'm going to continue this as a multi chapter fic. I have a few ideas of where to take this story and I'm excited!**

Having spent the majority of the afternoon transporting the last of his belongings to Meredith's house, Andrew was now officially moved in.

And as a way to welcome him home officially, Meredith prepared a barbecue dinner knowing it was his favorite. Knowing she wasn't much of a cook, she'd picked up the food from a local restaurant earlier.

It was an intimate gathering consisting only of Meredith, Andrew, the kids, Amelia, and Carina.

Andrew walked into the kitchen just as Meredith placed the final touches on the setup. "Wow, smells good in here." He said with a smile as he snaked his arms around her waist and placed a kiss on her cheek.

"I would hope so. I paid good money for this." Meredith chuckled a bit, turning around to face him.

"The kids and Amelia are out back in the pool. Carina's on her way. She wanted to freshen up after her shift at the hospital." Meredith told him.

"Thanks again for inviting Carina, by the way. She won't admit it to me, but she doesn't really have a lot of people here in Seattle and I know it means a lot to her that you invited her." Andrew said.

"Andrew, of course. She's your sister and I want her to feel welcomed." Meredith said with a quick peck to his lips.

Andrew went to grab a beer from the cooler and joined the festivities happening outside. He was met with laughter and squeals from Zola, Bailey, and Ellis as they splashed around in the pool.

"Hi Andrew!" They all called out to him.

He waved as he sat down in a lawn chair next to Amelia, who was laid out soaking in as much sun as possible, considering sunny days in Seattle weren't so common.

"So, you enjoying life at the frat house so far?" Amelia asked him.

"Frat house?" Andrew asked, raising an eyebrow.

Amelia chuckled a bit. "It's a running joke we've always made about the house, because Meredith always had sort of an open door policy type deal. It was basically everyone's home at some point."

"Well, yeah I'm enjoying it quite a bit." Andrew said. "It's been great, I love getting to know the kids more and I feel like I'm growing even closer to Meredith."

"Mmm, yeah well, judging from the sounds coming from the bedroom in the middle of the night you two couldn't be closer." Amelia remarked.

Just then, Meredith joined them outside. "Are you two talking about me?" She walked over to where Andrew sat and took a seat on his lap.

Andrew slipped an arm around her waist and she turned to face him. She leaned in closer, her blonde locks falling forward as she leaned in to kiss him. He kissed back, tasting the hints of strawberry wine on her lips.

"Oh, get a room already! Preferably one that's not so close to mine." Amelia joked.

Meredith pulled back and shot a glare at Amelia. "You know, speaking of that. How's that house hunting going?"

Amelia scratched the back of her head. "It's...uh...going. I mean, if your Italian dreamboat over here keeps making those delicious freaking cappuccinos every morning, I may never move out."

"Andrew, didn't you say Carina was looking for a roommate?" Meredith asked.

Amelia suddenly felt a sensation of butterflies in her stomach that she could not quite explain. It was happening any time that Carina Deluca's name was mentioned, or whenever she managed to steal a glance in her direction at the hospital.

"Oh yeah that's right, she is. And her cappuccinos are just as good as mine, if not better." Andrew replied.

"Somehow I don't doubt that." Amelia replied under her breath to herself.

It didn't take long for Meredith and Andrew to become lost in their own little bubble.

Meredith ran her hand gently against his bare chest. "I'm so happy you're here." She realized that she told him that practically every day for the past week that he officially moved in, but she couldn't help it. It was the truth. She loved having him around, knowing he was there, and always would be.

Andrew's gaze lingered on Meredith, the sunlight surrounding them highlighting the spark in her eyes he fell so deeply in love with. "I'm happy I'm here too. There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

"Mommy! Andrew! Come in the pool with us!" The couple heard Zola call out to them.

The two looked at each other. "Looks like it's pool time." Andrew said as they both stood up. He was already in his swim trunks and he watched as Meredith removed her tank top and shorts, revealing her white and gold two piece suit.

Before Andrew, her unspoken self consciousness regarding the scars she bared always prevented her from even the idea of wearing a two piece bathing suit, but now she wore one with a type of confidence she hadn't felt in quite some time. There were a lot of things that she never would have considered before Andrew, but he opened her up in ways she never could have imagined, and for that she was grateful.

They joined the children in the pool and that was where they spent the next hour, splashing around and enjoying each other's company as a family, their laughter echoing throughout the yard.

Carina arrived a short while later and Meredith was now in the kitchen making the woman a Margarita. Meredith wrestled with exactly what to talk about with her. As far as she knew, the only thing the pair had in common was the fact that they were both doctors, and of course, Andrew.

"This is a lovely home you have, Meredith." Carina commented, finally breaking the awkward tension.

"Thank you." Meredith smiled. "It's my childhood home and I made it my own. A lot of memories here."

Carina nodded and gestured for Meredith to keep pouring the alcohol when the blonde gave her a "say when" look. Perhaps they had more in common than she thought.

Meredith handed her the margarita and they both took a sip of their drink.

"Meredith, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Have you thought about your future with Andrea? Such as something more permanent, like marriage?" Carina asked.

Admittedly, Meredith was caught quite off guard with this question. Had she thought about it? Of course she had. Putting it into words? Maybe not so much.

Carina sensed her hesitation and continued. "I am just trying to get a better understanding of your intentions, you know, with this new arrangement."

Meredith sighed. "Honestly, I love him, Carina. And I want to share my life with him. That's my only intention."

"He really loves you too, Meredith. I can tell. And it's like nothing I've ever seen with any of his past relationships. He's in love with you." Carina said. "I'm simply protecting my brother's heart."

"Well, I can assure you his heart is in very good hands." Meredith told her. Carina gave her a knowing smile in response.

On their way outside, Amelia and Carina accidentally bumped into each other.

"Dr. Shepherd, I'm so sorry!" Carina said.

"Oh no, you're fine. And please, call me Amelia." A smile crept onto her lips once her eyes met Carina's. She found herself almost taken aback at just how striking Carina Deluca was. Her smile nearly causing the neurosurgeon to go weak at the knees.

"Amelia." Carina acknowledged, her Italian accent as thick as honey.

\--

As the sun began to set, the family all gathered to enjoy the delicious barbecue outside at the picnic table. The kids all crowded around Andrew talking his ear off about any and everything. And if Andrew was ever even the slightest bit annoyed by it, he never let it show in any of his interactions with them.

"Andrew?" Bailey said.

"Yeah buddy?" Andrew replied.

"I'm really glad that you're my mommy's boyfriend. Even though it's gross when you guys kiss." Bailey said, making a face with the last sentence. Meredith and Andrew both laughed.

"Yeah, me too." Zola agreed.

"Me too!" Ellis chimed in, always wanting to be included.

Meredith sat across the table watching in awe of the man in front of her and how amazing he was with her kids. It was as if he'd always been a part of the family.

She took a glance over at Amelia and Carina who were off to the side, sitting in two lawn chairs, seemingly immersed within their own conversation.

"Our sister's seem to be getting along pretty well. Looks like Amelia just might take her up on that roommate offer." Meredith pointed out to Andrew.

He turned to their direction. "Yeah, looks like it." He agreed.

Meredith, already having a number of drinks by then, had absolutely no hesitations when the radio began to play music she could dance to.

She stood up from her chair and began twirling around, swaying her arms about. "Andrew, come dance with me." She called to him.

Naturally, Andrew obliged and took her hand into his, while his other hand rested firmly at her waist. The couple swayed to the music, lost in the rhythm as well as each other's eyes. He felt Meredith's hands move to his lower back and up his shirt. "Someone's a little handsy this evening, hmm." Andrew smirked.

"You love it." Meredith teased, gently biting her lower lip.

"Oh, I do. And I plan on showing you a few other things I love later on tonight." Andrew said with a kiss to the top of her head. She giggled softly.

Meredith rested her head against his chest and both of his arms encircled her waist as they continued swaying from side to side along with the melody.

The air was becoming a little chillier as the evening went on and Andrew held her even closer as they stood out in the grass, the song that was playing long since over. She never felt safer than in the moments she was held by him.

"Andrea, Meredith, I have to go. Thank you so much for inviting me." Carina said as she walked up to them, promptly breaking them away from their trance.

"Thanks so much for coming. We loved having you." Meredith smiled at her.

"See you later, Carina." Andrew waved as she went to leave. He turned his attention back to Meredith. "See? That wasn't so bad."

Meredith rolled her eyes playfully. "Yeah yeah, you were right. It was actually really nice." She leaned forward placing a soft kiss to his lips.

She watched Carina and Amelia exchange phone numbers right as Carina was leaving, taking note of the bright smile plastered across her sister's face. If she didn't know any better, she'd think Amelia was crushing on Carina Deluca.

\--

Later that night after the children were put to bed and fast asleep, Meredith and Andrew were finally settling in for the night as well.

Having Andrew beside her in bed each and every night and waking up to him every morning was her new reality, and at times it still felt like a dream.

As Andrew climbed into bed next to Meredith, it wasn't long before their lips connected into a slow, passionate kiss that only grew in intensity until their clothes began to hit the floor in a swift and effortless rhythm. The two made sweet passionate love to their hearts content until they both collapsed in an exhaustive state of pure bliss.

And the best part of it all, there were no goodbyes.


	3. A fresh start, a new meaning

**A/N: hey guys as always I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thanks for all the reviews so far! Also, I'm not the best when it comes to writing the medical stuff so just bare with me if anything sounds off, lol.**

The quiet stillness of another early morning was soon permeated by the chimes of the alarm clock that sat on Meredith's bedside table.

Andrew was the first to open his eyes, immediately fixating his gaze on Meredith who laid beside him. He reached over to turn off the alarm clock and she began to stir.

"Hey." Meredith whispered sleepily as her eyes fluttered open.

"Good morning." Andrew replied as he kissed her lips softly.

Meredith returned the kiss, her hand grasping at his dark curls as she kissed him. She then felt his hand slide up her silk pajama camisole and she pulled back. "No use in starting something we won't be able to finish."

Andrew looked her up in down in that way that made her melt into a puddle on the floor. "Who says I won't be able to finish?" He replied with a devilish smirk.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the very important job that we can't be late for." Meredith giggled, slapping his chest playfully as she sat up.

"I wish we could just stay home, stay like this all day." Andrew lamented as his finger absentmindedly twirled a strand of her hair.

"As tempting as that sounds, we already did that the other day, and I'm sure Bailey found it just a tad suspicious that both of us happened to call in sick." Meredith pointed out.

Although they still tried, and sometimes failed, to maintain the certain ground rules Meredith laid out for the two of them at work, their relationship status was now a very well known fact within the hospital.

"True. That was a lot of fun.." Andrew sighed.

"Fun is certainly one word to describe it. We hardly left the bedroom." Meredith shook her head with a laugh.

"I mean, there was that one time. To get that chinese takeout we ordered." Andrew said.

The couple both laughed and their lips soon reconnected, the sheets tangled around them.

Meredith once again broke the kiss. "Okay. We really have to get up now. We have to get ready and get the kids up soon."

"But...a shower together would save a lot of time." Meredith added after a moment of thought.

Without any further hesitation, the two got out of bed and into the shower.

Meredith stepped in first, she closed her eyes and felt the sensation of hot droplets of water against her skin. It wasn't long before she was met with a pair of familiar arms around her waist and lips pressed to her neck. She leaned into Andrew, sighing contently.

Andrew then placed body wash into his hands and lathered them over Meredith's breasts. She moaned softly in response to this.

They stayed this way for as long as possible until yearnings and desire got the best of them. Meredith turned to face him, he lifted her slightly, putting her up against the tile wall, her legs wrapped firmly around his waist, where they proceeded to make love.

Reluctantly, their shower ended shortly after this and they finished getting ready for work

"Morning, Amelia." Meredith chimed brightly as she came downstairs. Amelia sat on a barstool at the kitchen counter. Andrew had already gotten dressed and was down in the kitchen making coffee.

"Someone's sure chipper this morning." Amelia said. "Hmm I wonder why."

Meredith chuckled a bit. "I have no idea what you are talking about. Can't a woman greet her own sister?"

"You're glowing." Amelia pointed out. "I know that glow."

"Again, I have no idea what you're talking about." Meredith laugh as she playfully gave a light nudge of her waist into Andrew's as she stood next to him. He gave her a knowing smirk.

"Anyways, I have time to make a little breakfast this morning if anyone's hungry." Andrew offered, wanting to shift the conversation in a different direction, considering there were children present.

Suddenly Amelia's pager went off. "Welp, looks like none for me. I appreciate the offer though." She said as she quickly grabbed an apple and headed out the door.

Andrew prepared a quick meal consisting of french toast for the family which was devoured in record time.

"Alright, who's ready for school?" He said to kids as he cleared the dishes.

"Me!" The kids all said in unison.

Meredith had already went to grab their backpacks for them and before long they were headed out the door. First stop, Zola and Bailey's elementary school then dropping Ellis off at daycare at the hospital.

She was greatly impressed by how smoothly things were running with Andrew now living with them. They had their own routine going and it was working for them. And a part of her knew her sisters were probably grateful for the much needed break.

After dropping the children off with little to no protest, it was time for the couple to officially start their day at the hospital.

It wasn't as hard being away from each other throughout the day knowing they would come home to one another that night.

Meredith stood at the nurses station to retrieve her charts for the day for the day and she was soon joined by Andrew who greeted her with a kiss to her cheek.

"Hey, you. My schedule's not too swamped today so I should be able to make it home for dinner. What about you?" Meredith asked him. She knew that as a resident and soon to be fellow, Andrew's schedule could be significantly more grueling than hers at times.

"Well I'm on Alex's service today and we only have an appy and a few hernia repairs. I should be home for dinner." Andrew told her.

Meredith smiled, moving closer towards him and gently tugging at his scrub top. "Great, see you at dinner, then."

Andrew mirrored her smile as he placed a soft kiss to her lips. Though he wished it could have lasted for much longer, he parted from her to retrieve his charts and they went their separate ways.

Meredith met up with Maggie as they were both scrubbing in on a surgery together.

"So, how's life living with Andrew?" Maggie asked her.

"It's great. It's been really great so far. I think it was the right decision." Meredith smiled, nodding with confidence. "How's life living with Jackson?"

"That's been great too. It's still weird not living with you, though. Especially on the days when our schedules are so opposite and I'm home alone. The quietness is taking some getting used to for sure." Maggie told her.

Meredith chuckled a little. "I bet."

"I do miss the kids, though." Maggie added.

"They miss you too. You're more than welcome to come by any time to hang out with them, or take them out. The door's always open for you, but you already know that, of course." Meredith said as she went to enter the OR with Maggie.

"Thanks." Maggie replied.

—-

Meanwhile, Amelia was prepping for a case that involved a pregnant woman which meant that she had to page OB.

Carina arrived promptly in the ER. "Dr. Shepherd, you paged? What do we have?"

"30 year old pregnant female. 28 weeks along. Involved in an MVC. Her head CT shows a bleed so we're gonna have to take her up to the OR and I'll need you to monitor the fetus, fetal heartbeat, and make sure we keep that baby where he is."

Carina nodded as she took out her stethoscope to listen to the woman's heartbeat and checked the fetal heartbeat on the monitor.

They rushed up to the OR to begin the procedure.

Fortunately, Amelia was able to get control of the bleeding and the baby maintained stability throughout the procedure despite a few signs of distress.

Hours later as Amelia was putting away her tablet at the nurses station, Carina came up to her.

"Excellent job today, Dr. Shepherd." Carina said to her.

"Thank you. I can't take all the credit, though. You did a pretty good excellent job yourself, Dr. Deluca." Amelia smiled, leaning against the counter with her head slightly tilted to the side.

Carina looked away briefly with a shy smile on her lips. "Are you busy now?"

"Nope, I'm just about done here. You?" Amelia replied.

"I'm finished too. I was thinking maybe I could buy you a drink in celebration of our positive outcome." Carina offered.

"Substitute that drink for a caramel macchiato and I'm in." Amelia said.

"Deal." Carina agreed without question.

Once they were changed back into their civilian clothes, Amelia and Carina met each other at the Starbucks not too far from the hospital.

All this is, is coffee between two coworkers. Nothing more. Why the hell are you nervous? Those were the thoughts running through Amelia's mind as she walked into the cafe and spotted Carina at a booth.

"Amelia, hi, I just ordered your coffee." Carina greeted with a warm smile.

"Awesome. Thanks." Amelia said as she sat down.

Conversation began to flow easily between the two. They exchanged stories about their work as doctors, and Carina talked a lot about her life in Italy. Amelia hung to every word.

"Do you ever miss your life back in Italy?" Amelia asked her.

"I would say yes and no. I miss a lot of things about it, and some things..not so much. I'm happy to have this new start." Carina explained.

Amelia nodded. "I definitely get that. That's pretty much how I ended up here in Seattle..wanting a new start."

Carina smiled. "Well, then cheers to new beginnings." She held up her coffee mug and the two tapped their mugs and took a sip.

Amelia flashed her a smile and it was as if time had frozen between the two of them right then and there.

—-

Later that evening, Andrew was in the kitchen preparing dinner.

Meredith walked in and lazily draped her arm around his torso. "I told you you didn't have to cook dinner tonight. We could've picked up burgers on the way home."

"I know, I know. But I promised the kids chicken fajitas, and they loved them the last time I made them." Andrew told her.

"It does smell delicious, so, point taken." Meredith chuckled lightly, leaning her head against his side.

She went to have a seat at the counter and watched Andrew cook, feelings of deep admiration for the little things like the way his eyebrows furrowed in concentration or the soft hum that came naturally while he was cooking.

The food was ready about twenty minutes later, and Meredith called the kids downstairs as she set their plates onto the table.

Settling in at the table to eat their food, the children took turns discussing their day at school.

Zola got a perfect score on her math test, Ellis learned about shapes, and Bailey was chosen as student of the month.

"Funny, we're having field day at my school soon and I was wondering if maybe Andrew could come. There's gonna be all kinds of games and fun stuff to do and face painting!" Bailey exclaimed excitedly.

"Well, I'll have to check my schedule so I don't want to make any promises just yet but I will definitely try my best to be there, buddy." Andrew told him. Bailey smiled.

After dinner, Meredith sent the children upstairs to get ready for bed. Shortly after this, Amelia arrived home.

"Hey, you missed dinner. Did you get stuck at the hospital?" Meredith said to her as she walked into the kitchen.

"No, I uh, actually stopped somewhere after my shift." Amelia replied.

The flustered, can't stop smiling look on Amelia's face caused Meredith to grow slightly suspicious. "Okay...should I be concerned?"

"What? No, of course not. I had a positive surgery outcome today with Carina Deluca, so we decided to celebrate over a cup of coffee. That's it." Amelia said, shrugging her shoulders and slipping her hands into her pockets. "Nothing to be concerned about."

"Okay okay I believe you." Meredith smiled, putting a hand up in surrender.

"Are you hungry? I made chicken fajitas and we saved you some." Andrew offered her.

"Now that I think about it, I'm actually quite famished. Don't mind if I do." Amelia grabbed a plate from the rack and made her way to the stove to prep her meal.

"That didn't seem weird to you at all?" Meredith asked Andrew once they were upstairs in their bedroom.

"Did what seem weird?" Andrew asked, looking up from the book he was reading.

"Amelia." Meredith sighed, tossing her clothes into the hamper. "Something seemed..different. And not necessarily in a bad way. I'd maybe even say she seemed happy."

"And that's weird because…?" Andrew asked confused.

Meredith shook her head. "Never mind. What do you think about her and your sister hanging out together?"

"I think it's a good thing. I think they'll get along well." Andrew replied. He figured that at least this colleague of his was safe from Carina sleeping with them.

"I guess." Meredith said as she crawled into bed and snuggled up against him. "By the way, I wanted to thank you for not making any promises you might not be able to keep to Bailey earlier at dinner. I know sometimes we surgeons get in over our heads thinking we can do it all, even though we can't. And people end up disappointed."

Andrew nodded understandingly. "Of course. I mean, I'm definitely going to try my hardest to be there. I know when I was his age I would've loved having my dad there to do little things like that. Not..not that I'm saying I'm Bailey's dad or anything. What I meant was-"

Meredith cut him off mid sentence. "Shh, Andrew, it's okay. I know exactly what you meant. And I love you for it." She leaned upwards placing a reassuring kiss to his lips.


	4. Chapter 4

Andrew sat in the research lab, his laptop open, with various medical journals as well as a few empty coffee cups surrounding him. Alex currently had him working on research for a case and he was determined.

He briefly looked away from his laptop to find he'd received a text from Meredith.

**M: hey, coming home tonight?**

Andrew sighed. Naturally a huge part of him wished this could be the case, but he also recognized the importance of the work he was doing there and Meredith would understand better than anyone.

**A: Nope, pulling an all-nighter. Gotta get this research done for Karev.**

**M: It's alright, I understand. I have a few guests keeping me plenty of company.**

Attached to this message was a selfie of Meredith and the kids all snuggled together in bed.

Andrew smiled to himself as he read the message.

**A: That's awesome. I love you guys.**

**M: We love you, too.**

Andrew put his phone away and dove back into his research with a new air of confidence and motivation.

—-

Going into work that morning, Amelia didn't quite know what she would do given the chance she ran into Carina.

She seemed to run into her quite often these days, whether it was to consult on the case or during a brief elevator ride or passing in the hallways.

As her luck would have it, Carina appeared behind her as she stood in line at the coffee cart near the hospital.

"Amelia." She heard her voice behind her say.

Amelia sighed softly as she turned around to face the other woman. "Carina."

"I think we should talk about the other night, I -" Carina started before Amelia cut her off.

"It's fine. We don't have to talk about it. I understand if you don't want me to be your roommate now." Amelia said.

Carina could see that she was visibly anxious and gently grasped her shoulders. "Amelia, I still want you to be my roommate. You've nothing to be ashamed of."

Memories of the moments that occurred outside of the cafe the other night played through Amelia's mind.

***flashback* **

"..So if you decide to, I will just need the security deposit and first month's rent." Carina explained as the two walked side by side out of the cafe.

"Great. I'll come by to check out the place later this week and I'll let you know for sure." Amelia said.

"I really enjoyed this, Amelia. We should do it again soon." Carina said as they stood outside near their parked cars.

"Oh, definitely. It was really nice talking to you." Amelia replied.

Carina smiled and for a moment they both stood there in a lingering silence.

"Well, I should probably head home. Meredith's probably wondering where the hell I am." Amelia said to her.

"Right, of course, we wouldn't want her to worry." Carina said as she stepped forward embracing Amelia into a goodbye hug. "Ciao, bellissima." She pressed a quick kiss on her cheek.

The events leading up to what happened next were a bit of a blur. All Amelia knew was that once moment she was locking eyes with quite possible the most beautiful woman she'd ever laid eyes on, and the next thing she knew her lips were planted softly onto hers.

It was very brief, nothing more than a soft peck, really, and with little to no time for Amelia to process what had just occurred. No matter the quickness, she found it difficult to shake the feeling of just how good it felt.

"I'm sorry, are you not..?" Carina said.

Amelia realized the other woman must have taken her stunned silence as perhaps meaning she was uncomfortable, which was the furthest thing from the truth.

"No no. I uh..I'm bisexual." Amelia told her. It felt so foreign yet so freeing coming out of her mouth. She hadn't said it out loud to anyone since her undergrad years.

Amelia couldn't quite read the expression on Carina's face. Surprised? Impressed? Relief that her gay-dar was still as sharp as ever?

"That was really nice, don't get me wrong. Just took me by surprise, that's all." Amelia said.

"Well, life can be funny that way. It's full of surprises." Carina placed her hand on her cheek, the smile never wavering on her lips. "Bye, Amelia."

end of flashback*

"It's not that I'm ashamed, Carina. I just don't want things to be awkward between us now. Or for this to be like, a thing. You know, the big elephant in the room that nobody wants to talk about." Amelia explained.

Carina shook her head. "Nothing has to be awkward. It was simply a friendly kiss goodbye. No elephants, no big deal."

Amelia couldn't help but chuckle at this. "Well, alright then." She turned to order her coffee and pay.

"You can come by to check out the place later this evening?" Carina said to her.

"Yeah, sure. I'll text you and let you know." Amelia replied. She thanked the cashier as she was handed her coffee and headed inside to work.

—

Meredith came into work later that morning and decided to check on Andrew since she had a bit of time to kill before she was needed in the OR.

She walked into the research lab to find Andrew going over research and delegating tasks to two of the interns, Casey and Qadri. Admittedly, watching Andrew being so serious and so very much in charge was quite the turn on in her eyes.

"Good morning, Dr. Grey!" Both interns greeted her, sitting up straighter in their chairs.

"Good morning, Dr. Qadri, Dr. Parker." Meredith replied. There was a beat of awkward silence. "Isn't there something you two should be doing?"

"Oh, right. Yes, we were just about to get right on that." Dr. Parker said as he stood up and gathered his papers. He and Dr. Qadri quickly exited the room.

Once they were gone, Meredith moved closer over to Andrew, she stood behind him and rested her chin against his shoulder. "Alex has you working extra hard these days, huh?"

"Yeah, but I realize that it's all worth it if it means saving a kid's life and plenty of other kids after this." Andrew said. He yawned a bit.

"You're exhausted. I think a little pick me up might do the trick." Meredith said to him.

"Thanks, but I've already had like ten cups of coffee." Andrew replied casually.

Meredith chuckled a bit, shaking her head. "Andrew, sweetheart. That's not the kind of "pick me up" I was talking about."

"Oh.." Andrew said. "Oh." He repeated with a raise of his eyebrows.

"Just relax and follow me. I'll do most of the work. My treat." Meredith said with a wink as she took his hand and headed to the nearest empty on call room.

Meredith locked the door behind them and turned to face Andrew, snaking her arms around his waist.

"I guess I was a little taken by surprise since we don't really do this at work. It was one of your rules so.." Andrew trailed off once he noticed her scrub top was now off, revealing a black lace bra.

"Why are you still talking and why are your pants still on?" Meredith questioned in playful frustration.

"Bed, now. Pants, off. No more talking. That's an order, Dr.Deluca. " Meredith ordered.

"Whatever you want, Dr. Grey." Andrew smirked into the kiss as their lips connected in a frenzy of passion and clothes flying as the fell onto the bed. Meredith climbed on top of him and kept her promise of putting in the most work.

Both Andrew and Meredith were deeply satisfied once it was over.

Meredith gently ran her fingers through his dark curls as they both laid there to catch their breath before inevitably having to get back to work.

Just laying there in a comfortably silent sex drunk haze couldn't have been more perfect. It didn't matter where they were, the feeling was all the same for the both of them.

However, their cloud of perfection was soon brought down to reality when Andrew's pager went off.

"It's Karev. I gotta go." Andrew said to her as he leaned over to give her a kiss and started getting dressed.

Meredith sat up and checked her watch. "Yeah, I've gotta go too." She started getting dressed as well.

They snuck in one more kiss goodbye before heading their separate ways.

——

Amelia immersed herself into her work and her mind was kept occupied for most of the day. That was until, near the end of the day when she checked her phone and saw a text from Carina with the address to her apartment.

The neurosurgeon was so focused on this that she hadn't noticed she was walking right into someone until she was hit with a solid thud.

She looked up to discover it was Linc. Her ex? Not quite. Their relationship never got far enough to really be defined. Her ex kind of almost boyfriend? There we go.

"Linc, hey. Sorry." Amelia said.

"Dr. Shepherd. All good." Linc replied rather curtly, his lips pressed together.

Amelia completely understood his newfound indifference towards her. She eventually told him that it was best if they could simply remain friends, and she knew it'd hurt him. However, in the long run she knew that it was the best decision for the both of them. There was a brief moment of awkward silence, then Linc kept walking without another word.

She made sure her post ops were all accounted for before leaving the hospital, then she was on her way to Carina's.

The drive wasn't very far from the hospital, which was definitely a bonus.

Once she arrived, she went up the elevator to the fourth floor where Carina resided. She walked down the corridor until she reached 4E and knocked on the door.

Carina answered the door and smiled as soon as she saw Amelia. "Hi! Come in."

Amelia stepped inside and took in her surroundings. The apartment had a very open, modern feel to it. The floors were hardwood and there was a large window with a view of the city as well as a balcony.

In the living room, there was a white leather sofa set with a sleek black furniture set consisting of a coffee table, as well as a bookshelf and a shelf containing photos and what looked to be awards that Carina had won.

The walls were adorned with various authentic Italian pieces and interesting portraits. Her bookshelf contained all types of literature including medical journals and poetry. On her coffee table were books on women's fashion, some in english, some in italian.

The thought of Carina, relaxed on her couch in a silk night robe, maybe in a pair of reading glasses, casually flipping through the pages caused a brief sensation of butterflies in Amelia's stomach.

"So this is the living room area, and over there is the kitchen and dining room." Carina explained, snapping Amelia out of her daydream.

Amelia took note of her rack of what seemed to be fifty various spices and wondered what one person would need with all that, and she was intrigued to find out.

"And over here is your bedroom." Carina said, gesturing for Amelia to follow her. The room was very neat and put together, just like the rest of her apartment.

By the end, Amelia had made her decision. She would be moving in with Carina.

Amelia announced the news later that night to Meredith and Maggie over leftover takeout. "So, if everything works out, I should be out of here by next week." She told them.

"That's awesome, Amelia. I think it'll be a nice change for you." Maggie said.

"Thanks, I think so too." Amelia agreed.

Meredith thought about just how much had changed since both Maggie and Amelia had agreed to move in with her. Back then, she was a recent widow, a little lost in some respects, and she needed all the love and support she could get - even if she didn't realize it at first.

And now, she was in a different place. She was more than just content, she was genuinely happy. Now that she had Andrew, there was nothing more that she could possibly want for.

However, little did the sisters know, Zola had been sitting on the stairs listening to the news that her Auntie Amelia was moving out, and promptly ran back up the stairs and slammed her door behind her.


	5. Chapter 5

Meredith was in a bit of a rush the next morning as she got herself and the children ready for school. She had a presentation on the progress she'd made on her ingestible diagnostic device as soon as she got to work that morning.

Andrew had woken up ahead of her to go on his early morning run before work, and he was already downstairs packing the kid's lunches. She both hated and loved him simultaneously because of this.

Meanwhile, Meredith was upstairs engaged in a battle over tights with her youngest and undoubtedly most stubborn child. Ellis insisted on the silver tights with the unicorn pattern on them, and her mother tried her very best to explain to her that she could no longer wear them due to the giant hole in the crotch, yet she would not take no for an answer.

Several minutes of back and forth went by until the surgeon was able to convince her daughter that the white tights with pink hearts were clearly the better choice, with an added throw in of ice cream after school for good behavior.

Bailey was already downstairs ready to go without protest, so Meredith headed downstairs with Zola and Ellis.

"Morning Ellis, Morning Zola." Andrew said as he handed the girls their lunch box.

"Morning!" Ellis said excitedly.

Zola didn't answer, and rolled her eyes as she took the lunch box from him.

Meredith instantly caught this. "Excuse you? Zola? Andrew is speaking to you."

Zola sighed. "Good morning." She mumbled, crossing her arms.

Meredith wondered to herself why two of her three children were choosing to be difficult on this particular morning.

"Bailey and Ellis, Andrew's gonna help get you guys into the car. I need to talk to your sister for a minute." Meredith told them.

"Come on guys, let's go." Andrew said as he lead the way out the front door and to their car.

Once they were outside, Meredith turned to Zola. "Alright, what's with the attitude, missy? This isn't like you and I'm not liking it one bit."

Zola sighed. "I heard you guys talking last night. I know Auntie Amelia is moving out."

"Oh, sweetie." Meredith said as she placed an arm around her eldest daughter.

"First auntie Maggie, now auntie Amelia. I just don't understand why they had to move out just because Andrew is here." Zola said.

"I know it may seem that way, but I can promise you that Andrew moving in had nothing to do with them moving out." Meredith told her. "And just because they're moving out, it doesn't mean they love you any less. And of course they'll still be around all the time."

Zola considered this. "And I can go visit them sometimes just like we visit Uncle Alex and Aunt Jo, right?"

"Absolutely." Meredith replied with a smile.

"Okay, mommy." Zola mirrored her smile.

"That's my big girl. Now let's get going so you won't be late for school." Meredith said as she guided the two out the door and to the car.

Meredith explained the situation to Andrew after Zola and Bailey were dropped off at school.

"It's a new change that'll take a little adjusting, but I just wanted to make sure you didn't take it personally."

Amelia and Maggie had become such a huge, very important part in the lives of her three children, in ways she never would've imagined years ago, but now she couldn't imagine not having them.

"No, of course not. I totally get that." Andrew replied.

"Good." Meredith said, feeling relieved. She placed her hand over his that rested on the console, and laced their fingers together.

Andrew was always so easy going and understanding, and this was still taking some getting used to on Meredith's part. At times, she would tell him things or they would be in a situation where she expected an argument or disapproval on his part, but that was never the case when it came to him.

They pulled up at the hospital a short while later. After they parked, Andrew went around to the backseat to get Ellis out of her car seat.

"Up! Up! Pick me up!" Ellis said as she tugged on his pants leg.

He lifted her up and onto his shoulders and was met with laughter from the young girl.

"Alright, I have to go prepare. Will you be fine dropping her off inside?" Meredith asked him as she gathered a few folders to take with her.

"We're good, Mer. Good luck today." Andrew said to her, placing a quick kiss to her lips.

"Thanks." Meredith smiled softly. "Bye Elle Belle. Be good and listen to your teacher!" She kissed Ellis on the cheek before heading into the hospital.

—-

Meredith met with Andrew later that afternoon for lunch. When she got to the cafeteria she spotted him already at a table with their food. He went ahead and got her salad, which she was always very specific about, and he had it memorized and made exactly the way she liked it.

"Hey. How'd the presentation go" Andrew asked when she sat down.

"Pretty good. I didn't choke, so that's always good. There were board members from the foundation there so that's why I was so nervous but everything ran smoothly." Meredith explained.

And for the next ten minutes or so, Andrew sat listening intently as Meredith went on about the details of her presentation and where she was at in her research.

He admired the sparkle in her eyes and the way she became so animated when talking about her passion - surgery and saving lives.

The two continued to enjoy their lunch together. "So Amelia's going to officially break the news of her moving out to the kids tonight." Meredith said.

Andrew nodded. "I know that'll probably be tough for them."

"Yeah, I mean they're so used to Maggie and Amelia just always being there. Especially Ellis, it's all she's ever known." Meredith explained.

"But the kids love the fact that you're here now. They tell me all the time." She added.

"Well the feelings mutual. They're amazing kids and I love being a part of their lives." Andrew told her.

Andrew smiled when he noticed a small drop of dressing on the corner of Meredith's mouth. "Here, you've got a little" He said as he reached forward and wiped it away with his thumb. "There, got it." He then pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

It was short and sweet, but everything the couple needed to get through the rest of their day.

"I've gotta get going." Andrew sighed. "See you at home tonight?"

"Yes you will." Meredith said, giving him a kiss goodbye. She watched him walk away until he was out of sight.

—-

Ever since Amelia had taken the offer of being Carina's roommate, she seemed to run into her more times than she ever remembered in the past. She thought of it as sort of like when you buy a new car, and then suddenly you start to see that car every wear. And if she were sticking to that analogy - Carina was an extremely attractive shiny italian sports car.

This time, it was the ladies restroom. Amelia was in a stall when she heard someone come in. A pair of high heels clicked hastily against the floor and the sound of equally hasty italian echoed throughout the room.

Amelia peaked through the crack of the stall and saw Carina on her cellphone, pacing back and forth. The phone call ended soon after this and the gynecologist stood there in front of the sink, a deep sigh escaping her lips.

Her head popped up suddenly at the sound of the toilet flushing and Amelia appearing from the stall.

"Oh! spiacente! I'm sorry. I didn't realize there was someone else in here." Carina said, turning to face Amelia and running a hand through her brunette locks.

"It's all good. Didn't wanna seem like I was spying on you or anything." Amelia chuckled a bit as she went to wash her hands.

Nice, Carina. Now she probably thinks you are a crazy person and won't want to be your roommate. Carina thought silently to herself.

"I definitely don't speak italian, but that sounded pretty intense. Is everything okay?" Amelia asked her. She wondered if this was overstepping in anyway, considering they barely knew each other, but she was genuinely concerned.

"Yes...No, not really." Carina sighed. "That was my father. Every conversation I have with him these days turns into an argument. My relationship with him, it's..complicated."

"Well hey, I understand complicated better than anyone. So..if you ever wanna talk, I'm here." Amelia told her.

"Thank you. I appreciate it." Carina smiled. As she looked into the eyes of the other woman, she couldn't help but see a soul much older than her true age. She wondered what those beautiful eyes could have witnessed.

The women said their goodbyes and went back to work with a lingering thought of the other in the back of their minds that day.

—

Meredith heard the sound of Andrew's motorcycle pulling into the driveway as she sat at the kitchen table helping Zola and Bailey with homework.

As she got deeper into this relationship with Andrew, the more uneasy she felt about the idea of him riding the motorcycle so often. Of course, when she'd brought it up to him, she was met with reassurance that he took every precaution imaginable and he would be okay.

And because she loved him and she wanted to believe that, not to mention she never wanted to be that girlfriend - she let it go and no longer mentioned it.

Andrew walked into the house and locked the door behind him. "Honey, I'm home!" He called out in a teasing, singsong voice. He walked further inside to where Meredith stood in the doorway of the kitchen. She greeted him with a kiss to his lips.

"And I brought tacos." Andrew added, holding up the bag he was carrying.

"This is why we keep you around." Meredith joked, playfully patting his chest.

It didn't take very long for Andrew's shadow, little Ellis, to make her appearance downstairs to greet Andrew.

"Drew's home! Drew's home!" She exclaimed excitedly as she ran up to him and hugged his leg.

"Hey, ladybug. How was school?" Andrew asked her, his hands tousling her hair.

"Good!" She replied. "Up! Up! Pick me up!" Ellis outstretched her arms to him. Andrew lifted her way up so that she could touch the ceiling, which caused her to giggle happily in response.

Meredith rested against the counter watching the banter between the two with a feeling of warmth in her heart. There was no denying that Ellis had grown the most attached to Andrew out of all the kids.

A little while later, Amelia arrived at the house. She was there that evening to talk to the kids about her moving out. It was just as difficult for her in some ways as it was for the kids.

Sure, she was Auntie Amelia, but she felt as if she had become so much more than that over the years she spent caring for her nieces and nephew. They had gotten used to her being back living with them full time, and not having three little lives to worry about first thing in the morning would take some getting used to for her as well.

Amelia and the kids all gathered outside on the front porch swing to talk.

Meanwhile, in the house, Meredith was in the kitchen filling the dishwasher when she felt her favorite pair of muscular arms snake firmly around her waist.

A small gasp escaped her lips when his grasp tightened, and she leaned up against him.

"Hey, I missed you today." Andrew uttered softly, despite having seen her at lunch and a few times briefly throughout the day, as he placed kisses against her shoulder and the back of her neck.

"I missed you too." Meredith said, placing her hands over his that rested around her waist.

"Honestly, Mer, the only thing that gets me through most days is knowing I get to come home to you." Andrew told her.

"I feel the same way." Meredith replied. Her entire body relaxed, which was always easy when felt by Andrew's touch, and she simply enjoyed the moment of being held by the love of her life.

Andrew looked down at their fingers intertwined and imagined how much better they'd look with two rings symbolizing the love they clearly felt for one another.

Maybe someday.


	6. Chapter 6

Meredith woke up to an empty side of the bed, which was to be expected to happen more frequently as Andrew began his pediatric fellowship. However, it didn't make it any less difficult. She had become spoiled in a way, always expecting to feel this familiar, protective arms around her frame, listening to the slow steady pattern of his breathing.

She vaguely remembered the sound of his alarm clock waking him and his quick movements getting up to turn it off because he didn't want to wake her.

It was almost like a routine at this point. She would feel him get up, listen to the sound of the shower running, and then the sink when he brushed his teeth.

When he got out, she was hit with the sweet aroma of his dark amber scented body wash. She would lay there in a blissful half slumber until she felt the softness of his beard scruff against her cheek as he gave her a kiss goodbye.

Currently, she was wearing one of his t-shirts that blanketed her tiny frame. It smelled like him, and it would have to do for now.

Downstairs, she discovered that the keurig was already set to brew at that exact moment. He knew her so well. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee soon wafted throughout the kitchen.

Meredith sat at the counter, staring ahead at the early morning sunrise as she sipped her coffee. Her time to decompress before the often fast paced craziness of the day took over.

A short while later, she was joined in the kitchen by her oldest daughter. Zola had always been her little early bird ever since she was a baby.

"Morning, Zo." Meredith said as she went to pour Zola a glass of juice. She handed her a vitamin to take with it as well.

"Good morning mommy." Zola replied. She sat down and looked wistfully out the window.

Meredith simply watched her for a moment, in awe of just how quickly she was growing up. She knew her teenage years would be here before they knew it and she was not ready for that in the slightest.

"What's on your mind?" Meredith asked her after a minute or two.

"I don't really wanna go to school. It's so boring sometimes. I can't wait to grow up and be a surgeon saving lives all day just like you." Zola told her.

Meredith chuckled softly. "Well don't be in too much of a rush. Enjoy your childhood while you can, sweetie. Enjoy it while you can."

Before long it was time to wake Bailey and Ellis up and get them ready for school as well. There wasn't too much of a fuss that morning which Meredith was grateful for.

She opened the fridge in the kitchen to see what she could pack them for lunch, only to find that their lunches had already been packed, and there was a lunch for Meredith as well. He always thought of everything.

Meredith got the children strawberry toaster strudel for breakfast and was quite proud of herself for not scorching a single one of them.

"Mommy, why couldn't Andrew make us breakfast today?" Bailey asked her, staring down at his toaster strudel.

"Because he had to go in early to the hospital." Meredith explained.

"I like it better when Andrew cooks." Bailey said.

"So do I." Meredith sighed.

"Alright, guys. We need to get going. Grab a napkin and you can finish these in the car." Meredith told her children as she scooped Ellis into her arms.

Zola and Bailey did as they were told and followed behind Meredith as they headed out the door.

"I thought you said we weren't allowed to eat in your car anymore?" Zola questioned.

"Well, I don't want us to be late so I'm making an exception to the rule. Just this one time." Meredith said, knowing there will most definitely be more times.

——

At the hospital, Andrew was trying to absorb as much information and learn as much as he possibly could from Alex, who agreed to take him on as a fellow.

Alex certainly wasn't going easy on him, which was to be expected. Andrew knew without a doubt that Alex was the best of the best at what he did, and he learned from the best.

Andrew was responsible for managing patients on the pediatric surgical service, pre and post ops under Alex's supervision. Now that that was complete, his rotation now had him covering trauma service.

Any traumas that would come in, Andrew would have the lead, which as a fellow and a surgeon he took great honor in, while a smaller part of him was a bundle of nerves.

He knew he had no reason to feel uneasy, this would probably be the easiest of services to cover, especially with his years of experience as an EMT.

Andrew would always be grateful for his time spent as an EMT, being out there on the front lines of the trauma, he saw a lot of things, and it ultimately made him a better surgeon.

Before long, they had an incoming trauma. A man and his two sons, ages 8 and 5 years old. Their father had somehow lost control of his vehicle, crashing into a railing and down into a ditch.

The 5 year old, Mason had multiple broken ribs and a possible head injury. Andrew had them page neuro.

They examined the 8 year old, David and found pretty severe bruising on his chest with possible internal injuries, as well as the expected scrapes and cuts that would need to be cleaned and stitched.

"We..we were driving with our dad and then he started going really fast. And at first we thought it was fun, like it was a game or something, but then we got scared because he kept almost hitting other cars and going too fast. We both said "dad! stop!" but he didn't stop, he just looked back at us and kept driving. Mason was crying and then our dad screamed at him to shut the H up then..that's when we crashed." The older boy explained to Andrew and Alex.

Andrew exchanged a brief glance at Alex. "That really helps us a lot. Thanks, buddy. You're doing a great job. I just need to talk to Dr. Alex here for one minute."

The doctors moved out of earshot of the boys while the nurses tended to them.

"This is insane. Do you think the dad was purposely trying to kill all of them? What would possess a person to do such a thing?" Andrew said.

Alex sighed, shaking his head. "Tox screen for the dad came back negative, but there could be other factors." He said as they both looked over at the bed where the man was being examined and talking to police.

Just then, a woman came rushing into the ER.

"Mom!" One of the boys called out.

The woman ran over to them. "David, Mason! Oh my god" She embraced the two carefully. "I got a call saying you were in a car crash. I was worried sick the entire drive down here. Where's daddy?"

Andrew stepped forward. "Ma'am, your husband is currently being questioned by police. And they may want to talk to you next."

The woman frowned. "Police wh-? Y..you guys don't think he did this on purpose do you? My husband loves our boys. They're his world. He would never do anything to harm them!"

"We're not accusing anyone of anything, ma'am. Just following protocol. Now, about your boys." Andrew said, and he began explaining their condition as he ordered two residents to get ORs prepped.

As the police went to go speak with the mom, Alex went over to Andrew.

"So, the police questioned the dad. Turns out he's got severe bipolar disorder. Apparently he was in some sort of manic episode and he hasn't been taking his meds." Alex explained.

However, Alex's words seemed to fade away and all Andrew felt was anger at what he was being told. Memories of his own situation with his father flooded his mind. He could hardly fathom this.

"Excuse me, Dr. Karev." Andrew said as he stepped aside and went over to the bed where the dad was.

Andrew tapped his shoulder. "Hey! What's your deal, huh?"

"I'm sorry?" The man said, looking bewildered.

"The police say you're on medication. Why weren't you taking it like you were supposed to?" Andrew outright questioned him.

The man sighed. "I know I'm supposed to, but I don't like the way the medication makes me feel. Numb and..not like myself at all."

"So you talk to your doctor and get possible alternatives. You don't just not take it all and put your children's lives and everyone around you in danger! What the hell is wrong with you? They could have been killed!" Andrew could feel his face reddened with anger.

"I..I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt anyone. I love my boys. You have to believe me." The man cried.

Alex noticed this from across the room and immediately stepped in.

"It doesn't matter what I believe. You were negligent and it's your own kids who have to pay the price!" Andrew accused.

"Dr. Deluca! Take a walk! NOW!" Alex yelled.

"Dr. Karev, I -" Andrew started.

"I said NOW!" Alex replied.

Andrew walked out the ER, leaning his head against a wall and sighing deeply.

Alex came over to him moments later. "Listen, if you ever, and I mean ever pull any crap like that again, under my watch, under my service, you're out of here. Got it?"

"Yes, sir. Dr. Karev, but you gotta understand, I-"

"Save it. I don't need to hear a sob story. We all have one, Deluca, but we don't let it affect our job at hand. Those kids are our main concern. Always. Understood?" Alex told him.

"Understood. It will never happen again." Andrew promised.

"And look, I get it. The anger when you see a case that hits a little too close to home. But you need to channel that into drive to save the lives of those kids. It's the only thing that matters." Alex said.

It was confirmed that the youngest boy needed surgery so both Andrew and Alex went upstairs to get scrubbed in.

——

Amelia was unpacking the last of her clothes into her drawers in the bedroom of her new apartment when she heard the front door open.

It was Carina, home from work at the hospital. She stood at Amelia's doorway with a smile and two bags in her hands.

"Buenosera, I bought dinner. It's chinese takeout. I didn't know what you like so I got one of everything." Carina told her:

"Ooh, yeah that's great, I totally forgot about dinner! Thank you." Amelia smiled at her.

"I was actually going to cook for you, but time flew away from me at the hospital. I will very soon, though. This weekend maybe?" Carina said.

"Sounds great. I'm looking forward to it." Amelia replied.

"So am I." Carina said before turning on her heel and out towards the kitchen.

Amelia tried her hardest not to read too far into that slight lip bite and tilt of her head as she said those words.

Get it together, Amelia. It's not happening. She thought to herself.

——

Later that night, Andrew arrived home. Long after Meredith had gotten there and put the children to bed.

The day had been particularly draining both physically and emotionally. Him and Alex both worked tirelessly to save that young boy's life and there was a positive outcome, which he was grateful for.

However, that didn't take away from the pain of the wounds from his past that hadn't quite healed. More than anything, he wanted to move forward from this to a point where it no longer bothered him. He wasn't sure if he'd ever reach that point.

Meredith came downstairs and noticed a sullen Andrew sitting on the couch, seemingly in deep thought.

"Rough day?" Meredith asked him.

Andrew nodded. "Yeah." He uttered softly.

"Can I sit with you for a while?" She asked.

Andrew nodded and outstretched his arm for her. She joined him on the couch and he draped his arm around her shoulder as she rested against him and held his free hand.

There was a comfortable silence between the two for a while. Meredith didn't insist that he give her details, which he deeply respected about her, even though he knew he would inevitably tell her all about it. He trusted her with these things in a way he'd never trusted anyone before.

For now, both Andrew and Meredith basked in the comfortable silence with the knowledge that tomorrow is another day, and they would always have each other.


	7. Chapter 7

Andrew was growing to greatly dislike the changes made to his routine with Meredith now that he was deep into his fellowship and had very little time for anything else. Alex was not going easy on him, which of course he appreciated from a career stance.

Meredith was making plenty of strides in her career as well. Her ingestible devices were producing the results she hoped for and now she was scrubbing out of yet another successful surgery.

Retrieving her cell phone she was greeted by her lock screen which featured a photo of Andrew and the children during one of their family movie nights. She was admiring the photo when a message appeared from Andrew.

_A: Hey. You busy?_

_M: When am I not? _

_M: Meet at home for lunch in an hour?_

_A: You read my mind_

Meredith smiled to herself as she closed her screen and placed her phone back into her pocket. Suddenly she found herself excited for the next hour to fly by - food being the furthest thing from her mind.

As planned, Meredith arrived at her home an hour later. She noticed that Andrew had already beat her there.

She walked in to find him in the kitchen. He turned when he heard her come in.

"Hey. I chopped up some of that leftover baked chicken we had and threw in some pasta and alfredo sauce. It's not much, but I figured we-" Andrew was cut off mid-sentence by Meredith, throwing her purse down and pulling him into a deep kiss.

Andrew, though taken by surprise, eagerly welcomed the kiss, leaning back against the kitchen counter with his hands rested tentatively on Meredith's backside.

When they finally pulled back, the two gazed wistfully at one another.

"We didn't come home to eat lunch did we?" Andrew questioned, though he very well knew the answer.

Meredith shook her head, softly biting her lower lip. She planted another kiss to his lips. Her lips then making their way to his neck.

"I'm hungry for something, but it's not chicken alfredo." She mumbled against his skin.

Just as things were starting to heat up, Meredith's phone rang, completely killing the mood for the time being.

"Dammit." Meredith sighed as she broke away from Andrew to go answer her phone.

It was Helm calling with an update on a patient.

As Meredith was on the phone with Helm, Andrew was up to a little mischief of his own.

He stood near Meredith, placing soft kisses along her neck while she was on the phone.

Meredith shot him a look, however tilted her head to the side and allowed him to continue. He could tell that she was trying her hardest to not lose focus.

She was so focused that it didn't even register in her mind what Andrew was about to do next until her pants were at her ankles, then her underwear.

Meredith leaned back against the counter, causing a couple of utensils to fall to the ground as her free hand gripped the countertop.

Although becoming visibly flustered, she was managing to maintain her composure with a fair amount of tact that had to be admired.

Andrew, however, had no intentions of slowing down. His tongue began working what could only be described as a form of pure magic to her sweet center.

Her breathing became uneven and she bit her lower lip as her hips bucked upwards in response to the intense pleasure.

"Helm, get those labs rushed ASAP. I'll be back to check on the patient and see where we'll go from there." Meredith told her subordinate.

Without warning, a mixture of a gasp and moan escaped Meredith's lips before she could stop it.

"Are you alright, Dr. Grey?" A confused Helm questioned on the other end of the line.

"I'm fine, Dr. Helm. Just go do what I said. Goodbye." Meredith replied hastily before promptly ending the call.

At this point, Andrew was chuckling at the exchange that had just taken place.

"You ass!" Meredith laughed, playfully smacking the back of his head.

"You love me." Andrew smirked with a shrug.

"You're lucky I do." Meredith replied. "Now, are we gonna waste valuable time standing here or are you gonna take me up those stairs and screw me senseless?"

Andrew, always appreciative of his girlfriend's blunt nature, promptly hoisted her in his arms up the stairs to their bedroom.

Clothes were removed in record time and taking advantage of the fact that they were home alone and could be as loud as they wanted, engaged in the hottest yearning filled sex one could ask for, especially in the middle of the day with their very limited time.

—-

Amelia tapped on Carina's office door and peaked her head in.

She found her bent over at her desk, a curtain of dark brunette waves falling at her shoulder as she peered at an open notebook she'd been writing in.

"Carina?" Amelia said. She loved saying her name and even more so the fact that they were roommates now and thus on a first name basis.

The woman looked up and smiled as soon as she saw Amelia. "Amelia, hi. Was there something I could help you with?"

Amelia smiled as she stepped further in, taking a glance around. "Well, yes, actually. I was wondering.. are you still doing that orgasm study?"

"I am, yes." Carina replied.

"Great! That's great, because uh, I kind of wanted in on the study. Not as a participant this time, but I was interested in the relation to orgasms and the brain, so I was hoping maybe we could be partners." Amelia said.

Carina's smile brightened. "That sounds like a great idea. I would love to have you on my team. Partners."

Amelia scratched the back of her head, the grin never fading from her lips. "Great, and it works out since now that we live together, we'll have time for extra research if needed."

Instantly, she worried if those words could be interpreted the wrong way. And a small but very present part of her didn't mind if they did.

"Absolutely. I'll bring all my notes home, a few cases for you to look over, and we'll start there." Carina said to her.

Amelia hadn't even noticed that she was simply standing there not saying a word until Carina chimed in.

"Was there anything else you needed, Amelia?"

"Huh? Oh, no, that was it. See you at home?" Amelia raised her eyebrows as she backed away towards the door.

Carina nodded "See you at home."

"Awesome. Great. See you then." Amelia turned on her heel and exited the room, silently cursing herself for being so damn awkward.

Carina Deluca had an effect on her, she couldn't deny that. What would come of it, however, had yet to be determined.

——

When Andrew arrived home that night, Meredith was already there, arms crossed with a seemingly upset expression on her features.

"Everything okay?" He asked her.

"No, it's not. I just came home and relieved the nanny and she tells me that Bailey's teacher told her she sent a spelling test home for me to sign. I never got it and I've always been good at checking their school folders." Meredith explained to him.

"So what are you thinking? Maybe it got lost or.." Andrew said.

Meredith shook her head. "No. I know exactly what's going on here."

She stood at the stairs and called out to her son. "Derek Bailey Shepherd get down here, now!"

Meredith never used her children's full names unless they were in trouble. Of course, Bailey knew this and was hesitant coming down.

Bailey stood on the stairs. "Yes mommy?"

Meredith sighed. "Come all the way down here where I can see you, please."

Bailey came down and crossed his arms behind his back.

"So, I just spoke with nanny Beth and she tells me your teacher says she sent home a spelling test to be signed by me, but I never got it. Why is that?" Meredith asked.

Bailey shrugged, looking down at his feet. "I dunno."

"Don't you dare lie to me Bailey." Meredith said sternly. "Remember when mommy asked you about your spelling test last friday and you said you did good?"

Bailey nodded.

"Were you lying to me?" She asked.

Bailey looked over at Andrew who sat nearby on the couch.

"Don't look at Andrew. I'm the one talking." Meredith said. "Were you lying to me?" She repeated.

Bailey nodded again. "Yes.."

"Why?" She asked.

"I just…" He said.

"You just what?" Meredith crossed her arms.

"I just wanted a treat like Zola and Ellis got." Bailey replied.

Zola and Ellis both had good reports from school on that day and Meredith had told them they'd get to pick out a treat from the store on the way home.

"So you lied to me to get what you wanted? Was that the right thing to do? Is that how we do things in this family?" Meredith said.

"No.." Bailey said softly.

"No what?"

"No ma'am." He said.

"You know what happens now right?" Meredith said.

"I get in trouble?" Bailey answered.

"That's right. No TV for a week. You will come home, do homework, eat dinner, and go straight to bed. And this will be enforced whether or not I'm here. And that field trip to the planetarium on Friday? You can forget it." Meredith said.

"But mommy!" Bailey protested.

"Nope. I don't wanna hear it. Get upstairs and I'll be up there in a minute." Meredith replied firmly.

Bailey, visibly upset, ran up the stairs to his room.

Meredith sighed, shaking her head as she turned to look at Andrew. "Can you believe that?"

"I mean, yeah, what he did was wrong but..don't you think that was a little harsh. He's just a kid.." Andrew said.

"A kid that knows right from wrong. What are you saying exactly?" Meredith defended.

"I'm just saying maybe you could've went a little easier on him. It's not like he does things like this all the time. I just think there's a better way-"

"Oh, so now you're the parenting expert who's going to tell me how to raise my kids? Okay." Meredith scoffed.

Andrew paused, a little taken aback by her statement. "Sorry, no, I'm not trying to tell you how to raise _your_ kids. Silly me for thinking that the fact that I live here, you and I are in a committed relationship, and I help take care of them everyday, that maybe my input on things like this would matter."

"Andrew, you know that's not what I meant!" Meredith said.

"No, you said exactly what you meant and I hear you loud and clear." Andrew said, getting up from the couch.

"Andrew, come on -" Meredith said.

He put his hand up as he was walking away. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Meredith."

Meredith sank on to the couch, bringing her fingers to her temple, sighing in frustration.

She went upstairs to make sure the kids were situated and settled down for the night and by the time she reached her bedroom, she found that Andrew was already asleep.

Meredith had trouble falling asleep that night, which ultimately didn't matter because her and Andrew were both paged for an incoming trauma a little after 1am.

After contacting the on-call sitter, Meredith got up to get dressed and Andrew did the same.

There was silence between them while they got ready, as well as on the drive to the hospital. The tension stemming from their conversation the previous evening still evident.

"I'll drive" Being the only words spoken by Andrew.

She looked at him from the passenger's seat as they drove. "Andrew, I just wanted to apologize if you were hurt in anyway by my comments yesterday. That wasn't my intention, and I'm sorry."

"I get it. It's all good." Andrew said.

"No clearly, it's not "all good" considering you've barely spoken a word to me since we got up and now you won't even look at me." Meredith argued.

Silence.

"I know we've got a lot going on at the moment and things are gonna be crazy when we get in there, but we are going to talk about this at some point very soon." Meredith said.

"Okay." Andrew replied. This time glancing at her for a brief second, as if he wanted to say more.

However, at this moment, it simply wasn't the time and they both had to focus on the current task at hand - saving lives.


	8. Chapter 8

Meredith and Andrew wordlessly walked into the ER where they were immediately thrust into the chaos of an incoming trauma.

It involved a multi vehicle crash including a wedding party in two limousines. The extent of damage was severe and they needed as many hands as possible to formally assess injuries and get critical patients into an OR as soon as possible.

They put on their surgical gloves and gowns without a glance in the other's direction. Jo came up to Meredith as Andrew walked towards the patient beds.

"What's up with you and Andrew?" Jo asked her.

"Nothing's up." Meredith replied flatly.

"Are you sure? There's almost never a time you two aren't smiling when you're around each other but just now I swear you could cut the tension with a knife." Jo said

Meredith sighed. "We got into a little argument, but it's fine. It happens. We're fine." She glanced over at Andrew who was across the room near a patient, talking with Owen.

Before the conversation could continue, it was time to get to work and Meredith was forced to clear her mind of any personal matters that may have been bothering her.

As of now, her patients were her main priority and that's the way it would be until the wee hours of that next morning, when finally, it was time to go home.

Meredith was getting dressed back into her civilian clothes when Andrew stepped halfway inside. "Hey. ready to go?"

She placed her top on over her head and went to grab her purse, before turning to Andrew. "Yeah, I'm ready. But listen, can we talk for a minute first?"

Their conversation from the previous night still weighing heavy on her mind and the thought of possibly hurting Andrew in anyway causing an ache in her heart that wouldn't go away, she knew she needed to talk to him right then and there.

Andrew nodded and stepped further inside, closing the door behind him.

Meredith took a breath and walked closer to him. "About last night, I just wanna apologize for the way I snapped at you. Now that I've had time to think about it, I can see how what I said was hurtful to you and for that, I'm sorry."

Andrew stood there quietly allowing her to speak.

"I was under a lot of stress, because as you know, I'm a working mother with a big job, so I can't always be 100 percent on top of things with my kids the way I'd like to be, and admittedly that sometimes makes me feel like a failure and it's not a very good feeling at all. But still, that was no excuse to take it out on you."

"Well, maybe I should be apologizing too. I know I overreacted. It did hurt, but I understand now. I'm just glad we're talking about it." Andrew replied.

"And Andrew, please know this -" Meredith stepped closer to him filling the gap between them, taking his hands into her own. "You have a very important role in my kids' lives. I recognize that and I appreciate it more than you will ever know. They love and adore you, and I know you feel the same. The bond you share with them is special and I never want you to think for a second that I'd want to diminish that."

Of course, that was the way Andrew had come to feel that things were, but to hear the actual words from Meredith meant absolutely everything to him.

Andrew squeezed her hands gently. "I love our family, Mer. Thank you for allowing me to be part of it."

Meredith smiled softly. "Thank you for choosing us."

The couple walked hand in hand out of the hospital and to their car to finally head home. Despite being plagued with exhaustion, their hearts remained content with the knowledge that the love they shared would only continue to grow stronger, regardless of any obstacles.

As Meredith got into the car, she noticed she got a text from Amelia asking if they could have a sister's hangout later that night, to which Meredith agreed. It had been a while since their last one and she was sure they had plenty of catching up to do.

After arriving home, both Meredith and Andrew showered and changed into more comfortable clothing before crawling into bed for much needed rest.

Meredith snuggled into Andrew's chest and wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head and holding her close - perhaps making up for the lack of having her in his arms the night before.

——

Later that night, Meredith came downstairs to a sight that warmed her heart to the very core. Andrew was sitting at the kitchen table with the children, Ellis sitting in his lap while he was reading off spelling words to Bailey in order to help him practice for his test. Zola was at the table as well working on homework.

Meredith was telling Maggie and Amelia all about it when they came over that night.

"Amelia, you've sure been quiet tonight." Maggie pointed out.

"How's it going living with Carina?" Meredith asked.

"Yeah, that's kinda what I wanted to talk to you guys about, actually." Amelia replied.

"What? Is it not working out?" Maggie questioned, attempting to read Amelia's expression.

"No, no, it's been great so far it's just.." Amelia sighed, she could feel her heart beginning to race in her chest.

Meredith and Maggie both exchanged a glance then looked back at Amelia. "Amelia, you're scaring us. What is it?" Maggie pressed further.

Amelia realized there was no right way to say this, she simply had to get it out. "I am bisexual. It's a big part of who I am, that..I don't wanna say I've been 'hiding' persay, it's just something I haven't really talked much about. The last serious relationships I have been in have all been with men, and I haven't been with a woman since college, but even so that doesn't make my bisexuality any less valid. I'm bisexual. I love men and women. It's as simple as that."

"Wow, well I'm glad you found the courage to tell us. And you know we would never judge you. Love is love." Maggie said.

"What she said. You know we support you a hundred percent." Meredith agreed.

Amelia released a sigh of relief. "Thanks. This means more than you'll ever know. Really."

"So about Carina? Are you two…?" Meredith asked.

"Nope. We're just friends and roommates at the moment, but I do sorta have this little crush on her that doesn't seem to wanna go away. I don't know if anything will come of it, but whatever happens, happens." Amelia replied with a shrug.

"I'm not gonna lie, I kind of had a feeling. About your crush on Carina, I mean. I noticed the way you looked at her that day at the little welcome home party I had for Andrew." Meredith said.

Amelia blushed a little. "Really? God, was I that obvious?"

"I mean, you're not exactly the most subtle person I've met." Maggie teased.

Amelia playfully tossed a pillow at Maggie's head.

"Hey!" Maggie exclaimed.

"What? Can't handle a pillow?" Amelia joked.

"Don't tart something you can finish, sister." Maggie said as she tossed a pillow at Amelia's face.

"Oh, now it's on!" Amelia said as she tossed two more pillows.

Meredith rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Are these my grown adult sisters or did I gain two extra kids?"

Maggie and Amelia both looked at each other then proceeded to throw pillows at Meredith, causing her to laugh as well and eventually join in.

Being surrounded by laughter and the unwavering love and support of her sisters meant everything to Amelia.


	9. Chapter 9

Meredith awakened to what would be a rare day for both her and Andrew. It was a beautiful Saturday morning and they were both off and neither on call. They had the entire day to do whatever their hearts desired. More than likely, it would involve something with the kids since it was the weekend and naturally they would be up soon and begging to do something.

She came downstairs to her favorite sight to see in the mornings, Andrew standing in the kitchen preparing breakfast and little Ellis right by his side standing on a stool at the kitchen counter.

"I'm Drew's helper mommy!" Ellis stated proudly.

Meredith smiled. "I can see that, sweetie. It smells delicious. Looks like you're doing a good job."

"Cinnamon belgian waffles with a hint of pumpkin spice." Andrew added as Meredith came up to him greeting him with a good morning kiss.

The sweet aroma of pumpkin a reminder that Halloween was soon approaching - not that the children didn't remind them every chance they got.

Once breakfast was ready, Meredith got the plates out for everyone and they were soon joined by Zola and Bailey.

"So what are we gonna do today?" Zola asked once they were settled at the table eating.

"What do you guys wanna do?" Andrew asked

"Aquarium!" Zola and Bailey said in unison.

Meredith chuckled a bit. "What about you, Elle Belle? Wanna go see the turtles?" She asked, knowing they were her daughter's favorite.

"Yeah tuttles! Let's go see tuttles!" Ellis exclaimed.

After breakfast, Meredith went upstairs to get the kids ready for the day.

She was currently in the bathroom giving Ellis a bath.

"Mommy, Drew coming with us to see tuttles?" Ellis asked her.

"He sure is." Meredith replied.

"Yayyy! I love Drew!" Ellis replied excitedly.

"So do I, sweet girl, so do I."

——

Amelia was enjoying the fact that she was able to sleep in that morning since she wasn't due at the hospital until later that afternoon.

She woke up to the aroma of fresh coffee brewing and the faint sounds of the living room television.

Standing in front of the vanity mirror on her dresser, she had to stop herself from rehearsing her appearance in the kitchen.

Should I brush my hair first? Maybe brush my teeth? Amelia found herself considering. Quickly, she pushed away these thoughts. Screw it. This is my house now too. What she sees, is what she gets.

She slipped on her silk floral robe and walked out to a sight that in her eyes belong in a museum of modern art.

Carina was in the kitchen bent over wiping up a spill from the tile floor. She wore nothing but a dark red crop top and a pair of silk black panties.

"Well, good morning." Amelia greeted with a smirk in her tone.

Carina immediately stood up. "Oh, Amelia. You're awake! Buongiorno!" She smiled at the other woman. "Are you hungry? I was just going to make breakfast. How do you like your omelette?"

"Umm a little of everything and lots of bacon?" Amelia replied.

Carina chuckled softly. "A little of everything and lots of bacon. Coming right up."

Amelia sat on the barstool with her chin in her hands, her elbows propped on the counter watching as Carina prepared her omelette.

"Did you sleep well?" Carina asked her.

"I did. Sleeping here now has actually been the best sleep I've had in god knows how long." Amelia laughed.

"Really?" Carina replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I've been living with Meredith and her kids for the better half of the past five years or so, well besides when I was living with Owen, and privacy was pretty much a foreign concept." Amelia explained.

"Oh, I'm sure." Carina empathized.

"I mean, I was pretty used to it, considering I grew up with three sisters and a brother." Amelia added.

"Ah. For me, it was the opposite. Andrea and our mother moved here to the US when we were young so it was just me and our father in Italy. We had a lot of family there, but eventually we stopped seeing them much.." Carina told her, and by the look on her face Amelia could tell she didn't want to elaborate further.

"So, Halloween's coming up. Any plans?" Amelia questioned, changing the subject.

A smile of relief graced Carina's features. "Yes, actually. There's a costume party at the WildRose that I was planning to go to."

"Oh? WildRose..that's the.." Amelia said, trying to pinpoint where she'd heard the name before.

"The lesbian bar." Carina finished. "I frequent there pretty often. It's a nice change from being hit by the perverts at your typical straight bar."

"Uh, I think you mean hit on, and yes I agree it's probably a thousand times better. I've never been, though." Amelia said.

Carina slid her omelette onto a plate and handed it to Amelia along with her fork. She then went to make coffee as well. "You should come. I think you'd enjoy."

"You know what? I think I just might take you up on that." Amelia smiled as she took a bite of her omelette.

—-

Meredith, Andrew, and the children had now been at the aquarium for the past hour and were having the best time bonding and enjoying the various exhibits.

The kids all raced up to the glass illuminated with hues of blue where they saw an array of colorful fish passing by.

Meredith and Andrew sat on a nearby bench, hand in hand, their fingers intertwined with each other's.

"Look look! It's Dory!" Ellis exclaimed excitedly when she spotted a pacific blue tang fish that looked exactly like the animated character.

Zola stood in the middle of them, a hand on both Bailey and Ellis' shoulder, always her younger siblings protector.

Meredith couldn't help but be in awe by just how much meaning little simple moments such as these held in her heart. She rested her head on Andrew's shoulder and he brought her hand to his lips, planting a soft kiss.

By the time they were heading home for the day, the sun was beginning to set. It was so nice out that they drove home with the windows down.

Meredith glanced towards the backseat and saw that all three kids were asleep. She turned her attention back to Andrew who was singing along with the radio.

She laughed a little and Andrew looked over at her. The amber hues of a perfect sunset illuminating her features, her hair blowing in the wind.

It was in moments like these that both knew with every fiber of their being that this was what they wanted their forever to be.

——

Later that night after a particularly difficult day at work, Amelia was home at the apartment. She was going into the kitchen to get a glass of water when she noticed Carina curled up on the couch watching television.

Carina looked up when she heard Amelia and she paused the TV.

"Hey Amelia, you're welcome to join me if you'd like. The movie just started." She offered with a smile.

Amelia felt that familiar mini somersault in her heart and she quickly took a sip of water. "Uh, sure, I'd love to." She finished the rest of her water and went over to the couch.

"It's Jennifer Aniston's new comedy movie on netflix. I love her." Carina explained as Amelia sat down.

"Ooh, I love her too. This should be good." Amelia said, getting comfortable.

They watched the movie, with plenty of laughter exchanged between the two of them.

The sound of Carina's laughter had to be the most beautiful sound to ever grace Amelia's ears.

A short while later as Amelia was laughing, she suddenly found her head resting on Carina's shoulder.

She looked straight ahead at the TV, not saying a word, simply feeling content in being that close to her. She couldn't exactly look up to be able to read Carina's reaction to this, but she didn't move, so Amelia took that as a good enough sign.

Suddenly, Amelia felt Carina's arm go around her, and she could feel her inch slightly closer.

The scent of Amelia's shampoo, apples and honey, was intoxicating to Carina, as well as the softness of her skin felt beneath her fingertips. She felt tiny goosebumps on Amelia's arm and smiled softly to herself.

Neither of the women spoke a word about this, instead continuing the movie as if it were the most natural occurrence in the world, and perhaps it should be.


	10. Chapter 10

Meredith Grey knew better than anyone that as a surgeon, your patients must be your number one priority in that OR, promises would sometimes be broken and people would end up disappointed. but that was the nature of the job.

Despite knowing this, it did not take away from the lingering mom guilt in the back of her mind. It was there every time she had to miss out on a school event, or when the nanny had to be the one to help them with homework and put them to bed. And it was there again now, on Halloween, because Meredith was locked into an emergency surgery and there was a chance she would not make it home in time to go trick or treating with her kids.

Meredith knew just how precious life was and she didn't want to miss a single moment with her kids. And because she knew this, she knew she had to put that guilt out of her mind for the time being and focus on her patient, who was also someone's mother and would rather be with her kids than in the hospital.

As she was heading up to the OR, she ran into Andrew in the hallway.

"Hey, I checked your schedule and you'll be home before me tonight, so if you can help the kids get ready to go out trick or treating? Their costumes and everything are already laid out. I'm gonna try to make it home in time to see them but.." Meredith said.

"Of course, Mer. I'd be more than happy to take them trick or treating, or whatever you need. If you make it in time, great. But if you don't, they'll understand and we'll still have an awesome time, I'll make sure of it." Andrew assured her.

"Thank you." Meredith smiled, planting a quick kiss goodbye to his lips before they went their separate ways.

Later that evening at the house, Andrew was getting ready to take the kids out to trick or treat.

"Mommy's not going to make it is she?" Zola asked him as he handed each of them their candy buckets.

"Well, she's gonna try, Zo." Andrew replied.

"I know." Zola said with a smile.

Andrew had Zola, Bailey, and Ellis pose for a few photos before they left.

The sun was beginning to set and the crisp autumn air surrounded them as they began their walk.

"So what are you guys gonna say when you go up to a door?" Andrew asked.

"Trick or treat, smell my feet! Give me something good to eat! If you don't, I don't care! I'll pull down your underwear!" Bailey laughed.

Andrew laughed a bit, shaking his head. "Points for creativity, but no, please don't do that."

"We say "trick or treat!" and when they give us candy we say "thank youuu"" Ellis said.

"Exactly. Good job." Andrew smiled.

——

Meredith got through her surgery and as she was scrubbing out she checked the time. Andrew and the kids would've surely been out for a while by now.

She decided to text Andrew to see where they were at so she could at least meet them up there.

Andrew texted her the street they were on and she was able to find them.

She got out of the car and stood next to Andrew who waited while the kids went up to a house.

"Hey." Meredith said.

"Hey." Andrew replied. "Glad you could make it. I know the kids will be happy." He noticed Meredith rubbing her arms as if she were cold, so he slipped his leather jacket off and placed it over her.

She wrapped her arm around him, leaning against his side.

"Mommy!" Zola exclaimed. The children all ran up and hugged her. "You made it!"

"I sure did. I see you guys scored me lots of candy." Meredith said.

"Not for you! For us!" Bailey replied.

"Sure son, you just keep thinking that." Meredith said with a giggle.

Meredith walked arm in arm with Andrew as they walked a couple more streets to allow the kids to collect as much candy as possible.

——

Amelia arrived at the WildRose that night not quite knowing what to expect. She'd never been to a lesbian bar, and she wondered if there would be much of a difference from regular bars, aside from the obvious.

She walked in and scanned the room for Carina. She didn't spot her right away so she ordered a cranberry sprite at the bar and sat down to take in her surroundings.

Almost everyone was dressed in costume, including Amelia. She called herself a "sexy sorceress" but she mainly bought the costume because of how amazing it made her boobs look. She also had a ton more makeup on than usual, but she figured she'd go all out for the occasion.

Eventually, she started walking around again until finally, she spotted Carina. She was in a cheetah costume, which consisted of a tight cheetah print leotard with black fishnet, and a pair of strappy black heels.

Amelia was so completely enamored by her beauty, she didn't even approach her right away. Instead choosing to admire from afar, watching her movements and the way she mingled so effortlessly with those surrounding her.

However, Amelia was quickly anchored back to reality from the cloud nine she was on when she noticed Carina getting suspiciously close to someone she was familiar with, one of the residents from Grey Sloan - Dr. Taryn Helm. They were talking, Carina inching closer to her, rubbing her arm and smiling that thousand watt smile that made Amelia so weak at the knees.

Carina whispered something into Helm's ear, to which she nodded in response and the two went further onto the dance floor and started dancing with each other.

Seeing this stirred something up in Amelia, it bothered her and she hated the fact that it did. Carina wasn't her girlfriend. Hell, they had only recently just became friends. There was no rational reason for her to be feeling this way.

Yet, the longer she watched the more irritated she became. She chewed her lip slightly and felt her cheeks grow warm.

Finally, she'd had enough. With any shred of rationality thrown out the window, she marched over to where they were on the dance floor and without a word she cut in between Helm and Carina.

"Amelia?" Carina said in a surprised tone.

Helm seemed slightly bewildered and confused, but simply shrugged and stepped back. Amelia got in front of Carina, facing away from her. She backed up into her and began grinding her ass against Carina in a rhythmic beat to the music that was playing.

Carina was a little caught off guard by Amelia's sudden bold move but of course there were no protests on her end.

She fully embraced this side of Amelia which she'd never seen until this point, and placed her hands on the other woman's waist, moving in sync with her.

The dim multicolored lights, the pulsing music and the sensation of Carina's body pressed so closely against her caused a rush of adrenaline to surge through Amelia. She felt Carina's hands move upwards to her chest and she was once again grateful that she chose the costume that made her boobs look so fantastic.

Amelia turned to face Carina, her eyes piercing into hers with a smirk on her lips. The two danced some more until finally Amelia leaned forward to whisper into Carina's ear.

"Take me home." Amelia uttered to her in an almost demanding tone.

Carina slipped her hand into Amelia's. "Let's go." She replied. And with that, the two made a prompt exit out of the nightclub.

They walked out into the parking lot to Carina's car.

"What about your car?" Carina asked.

"I took a cab here." Amelia answered.

"I've been drinking. You should drive." Carina said, handing her the keys

Amelia nodded and got into the drivers seat. Once they were settled in, she drove off to their apartment.

The ride was silent, with Amelia's thoughts running wild with anticipation of what was to come.

Here she was, driving the car of this exotic beauty of a woman who she now shared a home with, and the attraction was mutual.

As soon as they got into the apartment, closing and locking the door behind them, Amelia turned to Carina, pushing her up against the wall near the door and pressing her lips to hers in a heated passion.

Carina eagerly returned the kiss, running her fingers through Amelia's hair, which quickly turned to her hands hiking up the dress the woman wore as they kissed.

Without breaking the kiss, they backed up into Carina's bedroom. Amelia jumped into Carina's arms, wrapping her legs around her waist as they backed up onto the bed.

It didn't take very long for their costumes to be discarded onto the floor beneath them, leaving the women in nothing but their lingerie.

Carina took her headband off and shook her hair out, her brunette waves falling against her shoulders.

Amelia stares silently in awe.

Carina tilted her head to the side. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, this..this is perfect." Amelia smiled at her, her eyes scaling every curve, every detail.

Carina took Amelia's hand, placing it on her chest. She could feel her rapid heartbeat beneath her palm. Her hand slid down her chest, down her perfectly toned stomach, to her waistline.

"You're so fucking beautiful." Amelia uttered breathlessly.

Carina looked down, a smile on her lips. "Tu, mia cara, sei la bella.."

"I have no idea what you just said, but keep saying it, preferably with zero clothing. You and me both." Amelia said as she hastily grasped behind her to unhook her bra.

Carina chuckled softly, placing a gentle hand to Amelia's wrist. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

Amelia sighed. "Yes I'm sure. I'm not always sure about things. Anyone who knows me could tell you that. But what I'm sure about right now is that I want this. I want you, Carina."

There was nothing more that Carina wanted in that moment than Amelia Shepherd, so their desires were fulfilled, over and over, late into the night.

—-

Meredith and Andrew sat in the living room, long after the kids had gone to sleep, with all the Halloween candy spread out on the table for "inspection" which mostly consisted of the two eating the candy and sharing a bottle of wine as well.

"Tonight was a lot of fun." Meredith said to him.

"It was. I know the kids had a blast." Andrew replied, eating another piece of candy and discarding the empty wrapper onto the table.

"I'm so glad you were able to step in and make sure they had the best time. I know I could've gotten the nanny to take them if it were the only option, but I'm glad it was you. I'm glad we have you." Meredith said.

"I'm glad I have you guys too. Living here and being a part of this family came so naturally, it's like, hard to believe there was ever a time you guys weren't a part of my life." Andrew said.

Meredith smiled at him.

"What?" Andrew said, looking at her with that same spark in his eyes she fell in love with and continued to fall in love with each and every day.

"I love you, Andrew Deluca. You know that right?" Meredith responded.

"Nope. I don't think so. Maybe I need a little reminder?" Andrew teased, to which Meredith playfully shoved his chest and he leaned forward to kiss her lips.

The initial kiss was soft and sweet, but very quickly became more passionate, the sweet taste of candy and red wine on their lips.

Soon enough, the two found themselves completely lost in one another, their clothes long gone and their desire for one another only growing deeper with every kiss, every touch, every moan of pure pleasure.

The perfect end to the perfect Halloween night.


	11. Chapter 11

The next morning, Amelia woke up in Carina's bed, entangled in the sheets. Carina laid next to her still sleeping soundly.

Amelia sighed, lying there staring up at the ceiling as memories from the previous night played over and over in her mind.

The sex with Carina was mind blowing. There was no other way Amelia knew how to describe it. The feelings she felt during their intimacy were otherworldly. She laid on her side watching Carina sleep peacefully, until she stirred shortly after. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled instantly upon seeing Amelia.

"Morning." Amelia said softly.

"Good morning." Carina said as she sat up slightly, propped up by her elbow. "How do you feel?"

"Amazing." Amelia replied, sighing happily. "Last night was amazing. You were amazing."

Carina leaned forward kissing her lips softly.

"What about me? Was I okay?" Amelia questioned.

"Okay? Amelia, you were more than okay. You were amazing too." Carina told her.

Amelia blushed slightly. "Okay, be honest. Was I better than Owen?" She asked with a playful grin. A part of her found it quite amusing how one thing they both shared was the fact that they'd had sex with Owen Hunt.

"Oh, yes. Definitely. So much better." Carina said with certainty.

"Good." Amelia replied.

"And me? Am I better than Owen?" Carina asked.

"Mmm yes. I mean, don't get me wrong, Owen was great. But you..you are something else.." Amelia lost her train of thought, finding her lips connected to Carina's once more.

Suddenly a pager went off and both women broke apart from the kiss to see if it was theirs.

It was Carina's. "Sorry, I have to go." She said as she got up from the bed.

She turned to Amelia and could see the disappointment in her eyes. "We'll continue this later?" She added.

Amelia smiled. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Me too." Carina said.

After Carina left for the hospital, Amelia decided to call Maggie. She had to talk to someone about this and she trusted Maggie with her life and knew there would be no judgement from her. She gave Maggie the address and asked her to come over.

Maggie came over a little while later. "Wow, this is a really nice place." She complimented.

"I know right? Carina has excellent taste. In more ways than one.." Amelia said.

"I'm sorry?" Maggie queried.

Amelia chuckled lightly, shaking her head. "Wellll I, um, kinda sorta slept with Carina last night." She shrugged her shoulders offering Maggie a lighthearted smile.

"Wait - what? You slept with her? I thought it was just a little crush!" Maggie said.

"It was. I promise that's all it was..until it wasn't." Amelia replied.

"So, are you two together now?" Maggie asked.

Amelia shook her head. "No. We haven't actually discussed what it meant or what we are but really..maybe that's the beauty of it? Why complicate things with labels?"

Maggie shrugged. "Maybe."

"Carina's an amazing woman, and I don't want whatever it is that we have to be ruined by me and my big feelings. Nope. Not this time." Amelia said.

"You're allowed to feel whatever it is that you feel, Amelia. Your feelings are valid." Maggie pointed out.

Amelia allowed Maggie's words to settle, and a part of her knew that her sister was absolutely right.

——

"Friday night. Don't make any plans." Meredith said walking up to Alex in the hallway.

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Why the hell not?"

"Because you and Jo are watching the kids while Andrew and I go out. I already talked to Jo and she said it's fine." Meredith said.

"Oh did she now?" Alex replied.

"She did, and she also says since you guys are trying for a baby you need all the practice you can get. Feel free to use my kids anytime." Meredith winked teasingly.

Alex sighed realizing he couldn't argue when that was indeed true. "Fine. Whatever. What time should we swing by to get the little rugrats?"

"6pm. You're a lifesaver!" Meredith said with a smile.

Later in the afternoon, Meredith managed to steal a moment away with Andrew in an empty scan room.

"Alex agreed to watch the kids Friday night, so date night is still on." Meredith told him. It was proving to be a little difficult to keep her train of thought with Andrew's hands ever so delicately grazing her backside.

"That's good. I'm excited." Andrew said. He'd made reservations at Salty's in Alki Beach, a five star restaurant with the most gorgeous view of Elliot Bay.

"Me too. And.." Meredith said with a soft kiss to his lips. "They're keeping the kids overnight, so we'll have an empty house waiting for us at the end of the night.."

"Can Friday come any sooner?" Andrew said, planting soft kisses against her neck.

Meredith giggled softly as she ran her fingers through his dark curls. "Right?"

Andrew was paged shortly after and the two reluctantly parted ways for the time being.

——

Amelia came home that night and saw Carina in the kitchen preparing two dinner plates.

"Hey Amelia you're just in time. I made dinner. Lemon garlic pasta and salmon." Carina said to her.

"Sounds delicious." Amelia said. She noticed there were a few candles lit in the dining area as well.

Amelia got the utensils out for the two of them and sat down at the dining room table.

"No wine for you, right? Is iced tea okay?" Carina asked.

The fact that Carina memorized the small but very important detail that Amelia doesn't drink despite her never explicitly saying this or discussing it with her, was such a relief for Amelia.

"Yes. Iced tea is perfect, thanks." She smiled at Carina.

Carina nodded and poured a glass of iced tea for Amelia and a glass of merlot for herself, then joined her at the table with their meal.

They started to eat while engaging in casual conversation.

"So, how was work?" Amelia asked.

"It was good. I successfully delivered twins today with no complications. Mom and babies are both thriving. It was a good day." Carina answered.

"Awesome. That's amazing, Carina." Amelia spoke genuinely.

"Of course not nearly as amazing as being a world renowned neurosurgeon, I suppose." Carina said.

"Stop. Your work is equally as amazing and important. A huge part of your job is bringing life into the world, after all." Amelia insisted.

"Thank you. At least someone sees it that way, unlike my father. Because I didn't become a surgeon, my work will never be good enough in his eyes." Carina glanced down solemnly at her plate.

"Well then he's an idiot. Sorry, I know that's your dad, but he sounds like an idiot. And a jackass." Amelia said, causing Carina to laugh a bit.

"Amelia Shepherd, you are incredible." Carina said incredulously.

"So I've been told." Amelia teased, biting her lower lip.

After dinner, it didn't take long for the two to be craving dessert and they found themselves on the couch, Carina hovered over Amelia her lips working their way down her neck.

With every kiss, every touch, the heat between Amelia's legs rivaled that of the electrical fireplace nearby.

"Carina?" Amelia said once she was able to catch her breath.

"Yeah?"

"This...whatever this is between us, I..I want it to mean something. I'm not saying we have to be official or anything, but even if it's just sex and we have this friends with benefits thing going on..I want it to mean something. I want to mean something to you." Once Amelia started talking, she just kept talking and said what was on her heart. She accepted that this was just the nature of who she was and there was no changing that.

"You do mean something to me, cara." Carina said softly. "I don't think of you as sex only, and I would never treat you as such."

Amelia smiled brightly. "We don't have to rush to put a label on things. Whatever happens, happens. Let's just see where it takes us."

Carina mirrored her smile. "Let's." She connected her lips once more to Amelia's.

——

Finally, it was Friday evening, the kids had been picked up by Alex and Jo, so Meredith and Andrew were now getting ready to leave for their date.

Meredith wore a royal blue, strapless cocktail dress that hugged every curve exactly the way that it should.

When she came downstairs and saw the look on Andrew's face, she knew she had made the right choice in choosing this dress.

"Meredith, wow you, you..you look.." Andrew said.

Meredith giggled softly and went over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and planting a kiss on his lips.

"You know, I could always cancel that reservation.." Andrew's eyes scaled up and down her body.

"You certainly will not. There will be plenty of time for that later tonight, trust me. And besides, I'm starving." Meredith patted his shoulder and went to grab her purse.

The couple made it to the restaurant as scheduled and were seated at a booth with a perfect view of the bay.

They each ordered a steak and seafood cuisine as well as top shelf wine to go with their meal.

Conversation flowed as naturally as ever, the romantic atmosphere of the restaurant only heightening their excitement over having this night out together.

They talked about work, the kids, and any and everything that came to mind.

"Something on your mind?" Meredith asked when there was a lull in the conversation.

"Kind of. Well, what would have been my mom's 60th birthday is coming up and my dad wants to come out here to Seattle to..celebrate I guess? Maybe that's not the word. I'm not sure what his intentions are, to be honest. He never wants to talk about her." Andrew explained to Meredith.

"How do you feel about that?" Meredith asked him.

"I mean, I miss my mom every day and she deserves to be remembered and celebrated, but at the same time I know how my dad is and nothing is ever as simple as he tries to make it sound." Andrew replied.

Meredith listened intently to his every word. "Well, whatever you decide, you know I'm here for you and you have all my support. Always."

Andrew smiled softly, the tea light candles illuminating his features. "I know, Mer. And for that, I'm grateful more than words can express." He placed a soft kiss to the top of her hand.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Just wanted to thank you guys again for all your nice reviews so far! It's really encouraging and I love knowing what you guys think! And to answer your question Kiwiflea - Yes that is a real restaurant in Seattle that I wrote Mer and Andrew at in the last chapter! **

Ever since he'd gotten the news of his father's impending arrival to Seattle, Andrew found himself slightly on edge, and he hated it. He hated the power his father still held over him, despite him now being a grown man.

It wasn't so much the simple fact that his father was coming, it's the fact that Vincenzo Deluca could be so unpredictable in his motives and often went way in over his head, something that Andrew had to learn long ago.

_It should be a big party, Andrea. Invite everyone you know from the hospital. His dad had told him over the phone, in regards to his late mother's upcoming birthday._

_But papà, none of them even knew her. It makes no sense. It should just be a small celebration, maybe share a few memories, and that's it. Andrew tried to reason with him, but to no avail._

_Nonsense. It will be a big party. Your mother loved big parties, it's what she would have wanted. That's final. His dad told him._

Oh_ now _he_ su_ddenly cared so much about what she wanted? Andrew thought to himself.

He hadn't spoken to his father since that last conversation, but he knew he would be hearing from him soon.

Meredith could sense his uneasiness as they sat together on a bench in the park during their break from work enjoying a cup of frozen yogurt.

"Hey," Meredith said, placing a hand on his knee. "You okay?"

Andrew looked over at her and smiled. "Here, you have a little," He said as he leaned forward wiping a drop of yogurt from Meredith's lip and kissing her softly.

"Thanks. Now seriously, tell me what's up. Is it the stuff with your dad?" Meredith asked.

Andrew nodded. "Yeah, he's still wanting this party for my mom's birthday. Which sounds nice on paper but, I don't know.."

"Andrew, he can't control your life anymore. You have every right to stand up to him." Meredith told him.

"I know. Easier said than done, though." Andrew sighed.

Meredith sighed, understanding that all too well. "I know."

———

Amelia and Carina were carpooling to work with time to spare, so Amelia decided to stop by Meredith's place to retrieve some more of her things.

Carina stood in the living room looking around at the home his brother now shared with Meredith. Although she certainly had her doubts initially, she now knew that her baby brother was exactly where he needed to be and she was proud of the man he became.

Being in that house also reminded Carina of that very first time she saw Amelia outside of the hospital. It was for Andrew's welcome home party, and she was wearing a black bikini top and denim shorts, her hair soaked from playing with her nieces and nephew in the pool.

Carina for the first time felt like she really saw Amelia, she was instantly drawn to her, and wanted to know her more. And she couldn't be more glad that she went along with that first instinct.

Amelia emerged down the stairs with a small box. "I think I got everything. Ready to go?"

Carina checked her watch. "We still have a little time." She smiled softly.

"A little time for..?" Amelia said, before reading the look in Carina's eyes. "Oh! oh! That!" She giggles a bit, putting the box down and moving closer towards the woman.

"Okay, but, just kissing, because if we go any further I won't be able to stop myself and then we'll both be late for work and that would be very bad." Amelia said.

Carina laughed softly at this. "Of course. Just kissing."

The two women pulled each other in closer and their lips connected instantly, the kissing slow and sweet but still passionate. It was the kind of kissing that caused Amelia to question how the hell she went so long without kissing women.

They became so lost in the kiss, that neither of them heard the front door opening until they suddenly heard a voice.

"Carina, come on! Are you kidding me with this shit?" Andrew said, closing his eyes and rubbing his temple.

Amelia and Carina pulled away from each other to find Meredith and Andrew standing right in front of them.

Amelia looked at Meredith, whose expression read as confused more than anything else.

"Andrea, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to find out this way, but-"

Carina was cut off by Andrew. "Just stop. You don't have to explain anything. Just...really Carina? I know I joke about you sleeping with everyone I know but I guess you're taking this as some sort of challenge now."

"It is not like that at all!" Carina yelled. "I can't believe my own baby brother would think so little of me."

"With all this stuff going on with papa do you really think I need this added stress right now?" Andrew argued.

"He's my papa too, Andrea. You think this doesn't affect me? You think this isn't stressing me too?" Carina argued back.

As the siblings argued, they switched back and forth from english and italian so it was slightly difficult for Amelia and Meredith to keep up with, especially Amelia.

Andrew looked over at Meredith and Amelia who both looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "Carina, can we continue this conversation in private please?"

Both Carina and Andrew went outside to the back porch.

"Listen, I don't exactly know what's going on between you and Amelia, but I do know that she's been through hell and back and I just don't want to see her getting hurt if you two aren't serious." Andrew explained.

"I would never hurt her, Andrea. She isn't just some hook up or one night stand. I genuinely care for her and would never intentionally hurt her. I know she's Meredith's sister, but she's also a grown woman and can speak for herself, thank you very much." Carina countered.

Andrew sighed. "I know that, Carina."

"Have you heard from papà?" He asked her.

"The last time I talked with him, he yelled at me and called me useless. I haven't heard from him since, maybe it's better that way." Carina shrugged.

Andrew's expression softened. "Carina, you know he didn't mean it, he just-"

"I don't need you to explain him to me. I'm the one who lived with him for all those years, remember? Trust me, I know." Carina said.

And with that, she headed back inside the house.

"Amelia, let's go." She said, taking her by the hand.

Amelia looked back at Meredith with a sympathetic "I don't know what the hell just happened" smile as they walked out the door.

Carina and Amelia got into the car, and Carina pulled out of the driveway.

Amelia glanced in her direction a few times before finally speaking. "So...your dad is coming into town?"

Carina nodded. "Yes." She answered softly.

"And we're not happy about that?" Amelia asked.

"No." Carina answered just as softly.

"Okay." Amelia said, deciding they would leave it at that until Carina wanted to talk more.

——

Andrew pushed aside all family drama for now and remained focused on his work for the rest of that day.

On some days, he would think about the fact that he was partaking in one of the best surgical peds fellowships in the country, being trained by one of the best, who was also taught by the best of the best. He was grateful.

Not only from a surgical aspect - he was learning so much from these kids, fighting for them, advocating for them, and it made him all the more appreciative of the role he played in the lives of Meredith's three children.

It felt good knowing that he was doing good. And like Alex Karev himself had told him, peds is nothing but hardcore. And he was right.

When he was able to steal a moment away when his schedule was once again clear, he went into the blue room to decompress for a while.

A short while later, he heard someone come in and sit down next to him. He opened his eyes and saw that it was Meredith.

The two sat in a comfortable silence for a bit. Meredith extended her hand towards Andrew's and he held it.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay. You know that, right? It's gonna be okay." She squeezed his hand gently.

"I love you, Mer." He said softly.

"I love you." She replied, resting her head on his shoulder.

Amelia went to Carina's office once it was time to go home, since she would be her ride home that day.

"I'm almost ready. I just needed to get a few more things organized." Carina said when she saw Amelia at the door.

"That's fine. No rush." Amelia said. She walked further inside.

Carina paused near the shelf behind her. She took a breath then retrieved a framed photo that sat on the shelf.

She turned to Amelia as she held the photograph. "This is my mother. Andrea and I's mother. Lucinda."

Amelia smiled softly looking at the picture. "She's beautiful. You look a lot like her."

Carina smiled. "Thank you. Yes, she was very beautiful."

"She's no longer with us now. When Andrea and I were young, my father and I stayed behind in Italy while she took Andrea to the US and raised him here. Well, years ago, she came to visit me in Italy. but while she was here, she had a stroke and she..she passed away." Carina explained.

"Oh, Carina. I'm so sorry.." Amelia said softly.

"Her birthday is soon. She would be 60." Carina said.

Amelia noticed a single tear fall from Carina's beautiful brown eyes and she gently wiped it away. "I can say I know what a loss like that feels like. My dad died when I was five years old. And I know sometimes people say that over time, it doesn't hurt as much, but that's crap. Sure sometimes it hurts a little less, but more times than most would like to admit..it hurts like hell, like it just happened yesterday. That never goes away, and that's okay."

Carina hung to Amelia's every word and as the woman pulled her in for a hug, felt a sense of comfort that she hadn't felt in god knows how long, but it felt good.

———

A couple of weeks past, and it was now only a matter of days until Andrew and Carina's mom's birthday and the party their father had insisted on.

They'd found a small venue for the locations as well as ensuring every detail of the event were in order.

And now, Meredith was driving with Andrew to pick his father up from the airport.

They picked him up at the pickup area and Andrew got out to help him put his suitcase into the trunk.

"Andrea, mio figlio, so nice to see you!" The older Deluca greeted his son with a hug.

"Nice to see you too, papa." Andrew replied.

"And where is your bella donna, Meredith?" Vincenzo asked.

"She's in the car." Andrew responded, to which his dad peered into the car from the back window.

"You let her drive all this way? Surely I raised you better than that!" Vincenzo said.

"First of all, she offered to drive. Second of all, it's her car." Andrew said, but stopped himself upon realizing that explaining himself was essentially pointless.

He opened the backseat door for his dad and closed it before getting into the passenger's seat.

"Meredith, so lovely to see you again!" Vincenzo greeted.

"Lovely to see you too sir!" Meredith smiled.

"Please, call me Vince. We're almost family now, no?" He said.

Meredith laughed a little. "Alright, Vince."

"I'd like for us to go to the venue where your mother's celebration will be." Vincenzo said.

"I don't know, dad. I figured you'd want to go straight to your hotel to rest after that long flight." Andrew said, trying his best to mask his annoyance.

"Nonsense. I rested just fine on the plane." His father insisted.

Andrew sighed. "Fine. We'll stop by the venue."

Thirty minutes later, they arrived at the venue.

Meredith, Andrew, and his dad walked in to discover that everything was set up and ready for tomorrow night.

At the entrance was a poster board with a blown up photo of Andrew and Carina's mother with a floral design around it, it read "Remembering the life of Lucinda Maria Romano DeLuca on her 60th birthday."

Vincenzo Deluca took a look around. "It's very nice, but so much pink."

"Her favorite color was fuschia, dad." Andrew said.

"That's right. I was just testing to see if you remember." The man smiled and patted Andrew on the back.

Andrew rolled his eyes. "Right."

Just then, Vince spotted Carina across the room talking with one of the vendors. He walked over to her.

"Carina, you don't answer your own father's phone calls now?" He said to her.

Carina pursed her lips together and looked away. "I had nothing more to say to you, and you made it very clear my help was not needed."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Vince scoffed. "Sciocchina, you and your emotions."

"I do not need this right now." Carina shook her head. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go back to planning the birthday party for our mother that you asked for."

Just as she was about to turn to walk away, Amelia came up to them.

"Hey, everything's good with the floral arrangements. It'll all be set up tomorrow morning." Amelia told her.

"Hello, I don't believe we've met. And Carina here surely had no plans to introduce me. I'm Vincenzo Deluca." He held out his hand for Amelia.

Amelia shook his hand. "Hi! Nice to meet you. I'm Amelia Shepherd. Carina's friend and roommate. Also Meredith's sister."

"Mm friend and roommate? Are you sure that is all you are? My daughter certainly knows her way around, so I have to ask." Vincenzo chuckled a bit.

Amelia tilted her head to the side, a little taken aback by his response. "Excuse me?"

"Alright you two have met. Let's go Amelia." Carina said, swiftly guiding Amelia into the other direction away from her father.

"Wow, your dad is definitely something." Amelia said.

"That's one way of describing it." Carina replied.

Meredith and Andrew were standing in front of the photo of his mother that was on display.

"She was really beautiful. She reminds me a lot of Carina, but I see a lot of you in her too. You have her eyes." Meredith said.

Andrew smiled at this and Meredith held her arm around him, rubbing his back.

Maggie came up to them. "Thank you so much for the beautiful photos you and Carina provided. The slideshow turned out great."

"Thanks so much for agreeing to put it together, Maggie. You guys all coming together to make this happen really means a lot."

"Of course, Andrew. You're pretty much family now." Maggie said to him.

Later that night, knowing that Carina was still upset by everything that was happening, Amelia decided to do something to cheer her up.

Carina walked into the house to see Amelia standing in the living room with various DVDs surrounding her.

"I know today was pretty crappy, so I had to think of a way to make it less crappy, so I figured what better way than binging every Jennifer Aniston movie ever made?" Amelia said, remembering their mutual love for the actress.

Carina smiled a genuine smile for the first time that day. "Amelia.."

"I've got wine and snacks too." Amelia said with a grin. "Cranberry sprite for me of course."

Amelia smiled even wider, then made a puppy dog face.

"How could I possibly say no to a face like that?" Carina said as she put down her things and went to join Amelia.

Meanwhile, Andrew was trying to unwind after the events of that day as well. After dropping his father off at his hotel, Andrew and Meredith came home, helped the kids with homework and had dinner as a family.

Now, they were in bed, Andrew was laying on his stomach while Meredith massaged his shoulders and back.

"Tomorrow's going to be fine. You'll have a beautiful celebration remembering your mom and it'll be fine." Meredith insisted.

"You really believe that?" Andrew asked.

"I'm choosing to believe it, yes." Meredith answered.

"Well, I appreciate the positive outlook. I just hope you're right." Andrew said. As she massaged him, he felt the stress begin to leave him slowly but surely with every touch.

Afterwards, the two snuggled closely and drifted off to sleep, both wanting to get plenty of rest for whatever lay ahead.


	13. Chapter 13

Amelia was over at Meredith's house early the next morning. For now, they were the only two awake in the house.

"So you and Carina?" Meredith said as they sat down with their coffee.

"You seemed shocked when you caught us yesterday." Amelia replied. Admittedly, she worried about what Meredith would think and hoped she wouldn't judge the situation.

"Not shocked. Just, surprised. I had no idea you two were together. I mean, I had a feeling you were into her. Sisters intuition and all. But I didn't think you two would actually, you know, be together." Meredith said.

"We're not together." Amelia corrected. "We decided not to rush into labels or anything like that. Just kinda see where things take us."

Meredith nodded and sipped her coffee. "Okay."

"What? Why'd you say it like that?" Amelia asked.

"Like what?" Meredith replied.

"I dunno..like you didn't believe me." Amelia said.

"Oh, no, I believe you. It's just that sounds a lot different from the Amelia I've come to know." Meredith said. "I think it's a good thing, though."

"Yeah? I think so too." Amelia smiled.

"Andrew didn't seem too happy about it though. I was afraid you felt the same." She added.

"He's just under a lot of stress right now with their dad being in town and all those feelings and memories about his mom and everything. It's a lot. I promise though, it has nothing to do with you and Carina." Meredith explained.

Amelia thought for a moment. "That makes sense."

"You seem happy and like you're having fun. That's all that matters to me." Meredith said, giving Amelia a quick hug as she got up to refill her coffee mug.

——

Later that afternoon, Andrew and Carina went with their dad out on a private boat with their mom's ashes in tow. Meredith came along with them and hadn't let go of Andrew's hand the entire time.

Carina had kept their mother's ashes put away safely in an urn, but the family decided it was best to release them, and what better time than on her birthday.

"My mom loved the ocean." Andrew told Meredith. "She would talk about wanting to be buried at sea and back then I wouldn't really pay much mind to it because I mean who wants to think about their mom dying, you know? But, things happen and I'm so glad I listened to her."

"My mom never talked about those things, even before the alzheimer's. She always avoided the topic, or anything that required any level of human emotion on her part. So, I did what I thought was best, what I thought she would've wanted." Meredith said to him as she looked straight ahead at the ocean view.

Both her and Andrew were bonded over the loss of the parent, and the trials and tribulations of dealing with a parent who struggled with mental illness. Though it was something they wished they didn't have in common, it also meant they both understood each other in ways other people simply couldn't.

The boat stopped and they walked forward. Vince said a few words in italian, neither Andrew nor Carina wanted to make a formal speech.

The Deluca's gathered around each other, with a hand on the urn as they released her ashes into the sea. For a moment, as they stood there looking out into the ocean, hand in hand, they almost seemed like a normal functioning family.

Andrew hugged his sister and then turned to find Meredith standing nearby. He went over to her, embracing her in his arms in a way that said "Thank you for being here."

——

With evening soon approaching, it was time to head to the venue for the birthday celebration. Meredith and Andrew were currently in the car with his dad on the way there.

"You know, maybe we should just cancel this festa. It looks like nothing how I imagined." Vincenzo said out of nowhere.

"Dad, what the hell are you talking about? This was your idea in the first place! We put hundreds of thousands of dollars into this to make this special for mom. It's way too late to cancel anything anyways." Andrew argued.

"You're right, you're right. It will be fun time. Your mamà would have loved to be here." Vince said.

Andrew gave Meredith a look then looked towards the backseat at his dad. "I know, I know she would have."

They got to the venue and it was even more beautiful with everything completely set up. Guests, which consisted mainly of the usual Grey Sloan crew had already gathered.

There was a pamphlet handed out to everyone that listed the itinerary. All of her favorites were apart of the celebration. Her favorite music, her favorite foods, and of course her all time favorites as a florist - flowers.

After mingling with the guests for a while, Andrew and Meredith sat at a table with Carina and Vince.

Meredith looked over at Andrew and took his hand underneath the table. "You don't have to, you know. If you think it's too much." She was referencing the fact that Andrew was listed to give a few remarks about his late mother.

"No, no, I want to. I do." Andrew insisted. He took a deep breath and stood up, walking towards the front of the room where the microphone and speakers were set up.

Once he got everyone's attention, he began.

"I know most of you here, okay basically all of you here, did not know my mother. So I'm going to try my best to summarize my mother, the kind of person she was, in a way that won't keep us here all night." He said lightheartedly.

"My mom..my mom was light. I can't think of a simpler way to put it. No matter where she was, she was always the brightest spirit you'll ever come across. If she was ever upset about anything, you wouldn't be able to tell. She always took any hard situations and made the best of it, always seeing the positive. I mean, she was, in a country foreign to her, as a single mother raising me. Now as an adult, I have no doubt in my mind that she was scared out of her mind, that she had her worries, but she never let me see her that way. It was very rare for my mom to not have a smile on her face." Andrew spoke.

Carina smiled softly and took a glance at her father who looked straight ahead.

"I remember when I was younger, she was always constantly telling me how proud of me she was. "My Andrea. Always such a sweet boy, such a gentleman. You're going to make one lucky woman very happy someday." When I got into med school? She would take any opportunity to tell any and everyone, even strangers out in places like the grocery store. That's how proud she was. And all I can say to that is, I've always strived to make my mother proud, and I have no doubt that if she could see me today, she would be proud. Thank you."

Everyone clapped as Andrew put the microphone down and went back to the table.

Now, it was time for the slideshow to begin. The projector screen was turned on and the lights in the venue were dimmed.

The slideshow began, Supermarket Flowers by Ed Sheeran played along with it.

_I took the supermarket flowers from the windowsill_

_I threw the day-old tea from the cup_

_Packed up the photo album Matthew had made_

_Memories of a life that's been loved_

Photos of Lucinda Deluca in life, happy and smiling were displayed on screen. There was a photo of her and their father on their wedding day as well as various photos of her in youth.

Dad always told me, "Don't you cry when you're down"

But, mom, there's a tear every time that I blink

Oh, I'm in pieces. It's tearing me up but I know

A heart that's broke is a heart that's been loved

Tears began falling from Andrew's eyes. Meredith noticed this and took one of the cloth napkins and gently wiped them away, then wrapped her arm around him, leaning against his side.

_So, I'll sing Hallelujah_

_You were an angel in the shape of my mom_

_When I fell down you'd be there holding me up_

_Spread your wings as you go_

_And when God takes you back_

_He'll say, "Hallelujah, you're home"_

There were photos on screen of Carina with her mom, as well as with her and Andrew with their mom.

In particular, there was a photo from a beach trip that she went on when she was five years old. Carina was hesitant to walk out into the ocean and her mother took her hand and told her "Non aver paura, mia dolce ragazza. Ti ho preso." Do not be afraid, my sweet girl. I've got you.

I fluffed the pillows, made the beds, stacked the chairs up

Folded your nightgowns neatly in a case

John said he'd drive, then put his hand on my cheek

And wiped a tear from the side of my face

And I hope that I see the world as you did 'cause I know

A life with love is a life that's been lived

It was in this moment that Carina herself broke down into tears. Almost instantly, she felt a pair of arms embracing her. It was Amelia, who had been on the other side of the room.

"Hey, hey, I've got you. It's okay. It's okay.." Amelia whispered softly into her ear.

Carina let our every emotion she'd been feeling, and once she started it just continued pouring out of her. Being able to grieve like this, was like a heavy weight lifted from her soul.

When she finally lifted her head, she saw that it was now not only Amelia that surrounded her, but Maggie and Teddy too, two women who knew and understood the pain of losing a mother and despite never being super close to Carina, were there right now when she needed them.

Often, she questioned why she stayed in Seattle or if she had any real friends at the hospital to begin with. The love she was surrounded by in that moment all but confirmed it.

_Hallelujah_

_You were an angel in the shape of my mom_

_You got to see the person I have become_

_Spread your wings and I know_

_That when God took you back, he said, "Hallelujah, you're home"_

The end of the slideshow featured photos of Lucinda at various award ceremonies for both of her children, the huge smile on her face indicative of just how proud she was.

Once it was over, the lights came back on and Meredith remained close by Andrew's side.

"That was a very moving presentation, but enough of the tears now! This is a celebration, and I have an announcement!" Vincenzo said, standing up from his seat. He went up to the microphone.

"Hello all, I thank you all for being here to celebrate my beautiful late wife, Lucinda. Her children of course were her pride and joy, which makes me all the more pleased to announce that my son will be joining me in Italy to take part in the most prestigious pediatric fellowship program!" Vincenzo said.

He was met with light applause and a few hushed murmurs of confusion.

Meredith looked at Andrew with a wide eyed expression. "Italy?!"

"I don't know what the hell this is. We never discussed this. I never agreed to anything like this!" Andrew said. He looked over and saw Alex giving him a "what the hell" expression.

"If you never discussed or agreed to it, why would he announce it in front of everyone like that?" Meredith questioned.

"I don't know. I've stopped trying to decipher how his mind works." Andrew sighed.

"Well, we have to fix this." Meredith stated.

"I know, I'm gonna talk to him, but not here." Andrew said, knowing a long overdue conversation was to be had, between not only him, and their dad, but Carina as well.

Carina took notice that their father had been a little heavy on the champagne and she knew how he could get when he drank.

"I'm going to take papà back to his room." Carina told Andrew.

Andrew nodded. "Alright."

The rest of that evening was spent explaining to everyone and setting the record straight that he was NOT moving to Italy.

Amelia stood near a table helping herself to the shrimp cocktail when she noticed Carina and Vince Deluca by the door seemingly in a heated argument. She could tell Carina was trying to be subtle as to not cause a scene.

Amelia noticed how close in Carina's face the older Deluca was getting and she didn't like what she was seeing, not one bit.

She saw Carina try to take his arm and he jerked away, his elbow striking her in the chest. Amelia felt like she was seeing red and she immediately charged over there.

Despite the fact that it was an accident, the man had hit his own daughter and didn't seem the slightest apologetic.

"Hey! What the hell?" Amelia snapped.

Vince and Carina both looked at her.

"Please, miss, this does not concern you." Vincenzo waved her off.

"It became my concern the moment I saw you put your hands on her. That's not okay! What the fuck is your deal?" Amelia spat angrily.

"Amelia, Amelia please. I don't know what you think you saw, but I have this handled. He's my father. Please, I can handle this." Carina pleaded to her, tears brimming in her eyes.

"But Carina he-" Amelia said.

"Please." Carina repeated.

Suddenly she wasn't the well put together free spirited woman she'd established herself to be. Suddenly, she was the scared little girl sweeping away at the floors of that little shop in Italy as thoroughly and as quickly as possible in order to please her father for no other reason than the simple fact that he was her father and she loved him dearly and she wanted him to love her, too.

Still, Amelia didn't want to leave her side and didn't feel comfortable doing so until she saw Andrew come up to them.

He said something to his father in Italian and the Deluca's promptly left the venue together.

"Amelia, are you okay? You're as red as a tomato." Meredith said.

"Almost physically fought Vincenzo Deluca. You know, typical stuff." Amelia shrugged.

"Umm, well I'm glad you're okay then." Meredith said.

"But the question is, will they be okay?" Amelia asked.

"As a veteran expert of family dysfunction, I think they will be. They just have to sort their crap out, just like the rest of us." Meredith said.


End file.
